Marriage of Convenience
by setlib
Summary: Katara and Zuko must agree to a marriage of convenience to save his throne. But when they begin the search for his mother, convenience turns into love. Zutara / Blutara. Mostly T rated until chapters 16-17, then beware the definite M rating! Complete.
1. Chapter 1: Agnikai

*****Author's Note*****

I never heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender until I saw the movie in July 2010. While the movie was disappointing, it piqued my interest enough to watch the series. Summer Break + Netflix = Creation Of An Avatard. I am now completely obsessed with ATLA! I have never written fanfiction before, but I was so irritated by the end of the series that I decided to rewrite the ending the way I would have liked it. Be warned, this is packed with fluffy Zutarian goodness.

*****References*****

Details about the fire sages, and many spellings, taken from The Lost Scrolls: Fire. Viacom International Inc.: 2006.

Much thanks to the moderators of avatarspiritmedia .net because their episode transcripts have been invaluable.

*****Disclaimer*****

I have no rights to the story or characters of ATLA. But if I did, this is how it would have ended…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter One: Agni-kai**

Zuko's voice rang out in challenge. "No lightning today? What's the matter, afraid I'll redirect it?" He faced his sister confidently, assuming a defensive stance.

"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" Azula moved her fingertips in an arc, generating a massive field of lightning and extending her arm to strike at her brother. But at the last second, she altered her aim – sending the electricity surging directly at Katara.

"No!" Zuko leapt through the air, intercepting the wild energy and pulling it to his chest. He collapsed on the flagstones of the plaza, sending the lightning shooting out of his arm to flash in the night sky above the Fire Nation capital. Aftershocks ripped through his body, leaving him writhing and moaning on the ground.

"Zuko!" Katara raced toward him, only to be brought up by a blast of fire at her feet. With a wicked laugh, Azula stalked crookedly toward her dying brother. Katara pulled the last of the water out of her waterskin and sent up a defensive shield as she ran forward to protect Zuko from his monstrous sibling.

Azula shot a blast of searing blue fire, instantly vaporizing the last of Katara's water. "Get out of the way, dirty peasant. It's time I finished my big brother - once and for all." Looking down at where Zuko lay curled in agony, she smiled, and began to call the lightning again for a final blow.

"Not if I can help it." Katara reached out desperately for every drop of water she could pull from the air, her sweat, Zuko's pained form, and shaped them into a hundred tiny ice daggers which she hurled at Azula. Katara cursed under her breath as Azula easily sent another wave of blue flame to dissolve the ice.

"You want to go first, water girl? I'm happy to oblige." Azula was confident, almost giddy as she continued to approach.

If only the moon was full! As much as Katara feared the dark art of bloodbending, she would use it in a heartbeat if it would stop Azula. She extended all her senses, seeking water anywhere she could find it. If there had been any plants or trees in the plaza, she could have pulled out their fluid to use. With a gasp she realized that there was one other source, temptingly close, and she could feel the steady, rhythmic pulse of liquid calling to her. It was unthinkable to pull the water out, it was surely the darkest form of waterbending imaginable, yet what choice did she have?

"Now that I think about it, this is even better. Zuzu obviously cares for you, since he risked his foolish head to save you. And now, he can watch you burn in front of him. After hearing your screams, he'll be begging me to finish him. Yes, this is perfect!" Laughing, Azula pulled back a fist to build an intense fireball. But before she could launch it at Katara, she suddenly began to twitch and groan, her lovely features pulling up into a savage grimace.

"You're not going to hurt anyone. Ever. Again." Fingers clenched, hands twisted like claws, Katara reached toward Azula and then sharply pulled her arms back. Azula's body tightened and jerked, like a wooden puppet on a string, and then with a wet tearing sound, all the water was wrenched out of her flesh and blood to land at Katara's feet. The light breeze in the plaza caused her skin to flake away like fine powder, and her hair to fall in clumps, until her armor collapsed suddenly with nothing of Azula left inside but a pile of grey dust.

Katara fell to her knees, wanting to retch in horror at what she had just done. But Zuko's body had stilled, and as frightening as his moans of pain had been, his silence was far more terrifying. She pulled water to glove her hands – not wanting to think about where it came from – and leaned over his motionless figure.

_Please work please work...please Zuko open your eyes_! Katara guided the water into Zuko's wound, willing it to seek out and heal the damaged flesh. The red star shape with its jagged, singed edges stretched across his ribs like a palpable reflection of Sozin's Comet blazing in the sky. She pressed the healing water to it, feeling his heart beat erratically beneath her hand as the electric charge continued to wrack his body. She would NOT let Azula win, would not let her take Zuko away, not now that she had finally started to see how brave, how selfless he truly was. Katara cradled his head in her other hand, bending her body protectively over his as she reached deep within herself for the focus, the control, she would need to save him. At last the water began to shimmer and glow, the blue light coursing between them as his seared flesh knit back together.

"Thank you, Katara," Zuko whispered.

He blinked slowly, as though waking from a strange dream, and Katara couldn't imagine any sight more welcome than his golden eyes. How could she have ever feared them? Ignoring the tears in her own, she tried to smile reassuringly, as if she had never doubted her ability to pull him back from the brink. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you…even if you were a fool to take a lightning bolt to the chest just to protect me!"

"A fool?" Zuko repeated, raising his eyebrow.

"You shouldn't have put yourself in danger for me, Zuko. The Fire Nation needs you. You're too important to risk losing-"

He cut her off, quietly but firmly. "No, Katara. You're too important to lose." He sat up, reaching out a hand as if to stroke her cheek, but froze when a voice rang out.

"You there – girl! What do you think you're doing?"

Katara looked up to see a figure emerge from the shadows lining the ceremonial plaza. An old man wearing the distinctive tall red hat of a fire sage was striding toward them, with four other sages following behind. As he got closer, Katara realized he was furious.

"This is completely unacceptable!" he spat angrily as he came to a halt in front of her. "It is forbidden to interfere in an agni-kai! Only the two contestants are permitted in the arena."

"I – but – Azula attacked me! What was I supposed to do?" Katara demanded.

The old man ignored her protests. "You have tampered with the outcome of the duel! Fire Lord Azula's strike would have been fatal, if it weren't for your interference."

Katara leapt to her feet, shouting. "You're saying I should have let Zuko die? Just because of your stupid rules?"

Zuko stood carefully, cradling his injured chest. He wrapped an arm around Katara's shoulders, as much to prevent her from assaulting the old man as to help him stand. He bowed gingerly. "Great Sage, if you saw the duel, then you must have seen Azula strike the first blow against Katara. Surely you will concede that?"

The Sage frowned. "Perhaps the girl had the right to defend herself, but what she did to Fire lord Azula is more than a crime, it's…an abomination." He gestured to the pile of armor where Azula once stood, but Katara squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head into Zuko's shoulder. The evidence of what she had done sent another wave of revulsion through her.

Zuko quickly spoke up in her defense. "Katara had no choice. Azula was about to kill both of us, and you know it. Whether or not you approve of the outcome, the fact remains – she lost."

"Nevertheless, I cannot declare you the victor of the agni-kai, as you did not defeat Azula yourself."

Zuko stiffened suddenly, his voice hardening. "I am heir to the throne. You must declare – "

"You are not the heir any longer!" the Sage interrupted harshly. "You are banished, a traitor, with no more right to the throne than….than this peasant." He gestured dismissively at Katara. "Without a clear victory in the agni-kai, I cannot ordain you Fire lord!"

Katara gasped. "Zuko has to be Fire lord! He's the only one who can end the war!" One of the other fire sages stepped forward, and Katara realized that she knew him. He was Shyu, the lone fire sage from Avatar Roku's temple who had been willing to help Aang at the Winter Solstice.

"Great Sage, I may be able to offer a solution to this dilemma." He turned to Katara and Zuko, bowing respectfully. "Fire sages are dedicated to preserving rules and traditions," he explained, "but the Fire Nation has a long history, much of which has been forgotten. We may be able to find a precedent among the secret histories in the Dragon Bone Catacombs which will provide guidance."

"We don't need to examine the scrolls!" scoffed the Great Sage. "When the Phoenix King returns from conquering the Earth Kingdom, he will have his traitor son arrested!"

"You're wrong." Katara's voice trembled with emotion as she challenged the old man. "The Avatar will defeat Ozai, and you will regret insulting your future Lord!"

Zuko nodded and looked back at the Great Sage. "You will search the Catacombs tonight and find a resolution to the agni-kai. But, one way or another, I assure you," Zuko stated firmly, "I _will_ be the next Fire lord."

The Great Sage seemed to bite back a response, acquiescing for now. He stalked off with the three other sages, leaving only Shyu behind.

"I thought you were arrested!" Katara whispered. "How did you come to be here?"

"After Admiral Zhao was killed during the Siege of the North, there was no one left to pursue charges against us. The Great Sage was outraged at the arrest of the fire sages from Crescent Island, and demanded Fire Lord Ozai release us all," Shyu explained quickly.

"I am grateful for your help," Zuko said, leaning tiredly on Katara.

She tightened her arm around him. "Shyu, I need to get Zuko somewhere safe, where he can recover. I thought there would be servants or guards around, but it's like the palace is deserted."

"Azula dismissed or banished all the staff. She seemed convinced that everyone was plotting against her," Shyu explained as he wrapped an arm around Zuko's other side and guided them across the plaza.

Within minutes Zuko was carefully moved to his former quarters in the Royal Palace. Although Katara was focused on his painful progress, she gasped with surprise when they entered his chambers. His room was large enough to fit half of the igloos and tents from her village, yet it was nearly empty. Aside from a few small tables scattered around the edges of the room, it was dominated by a monstrous bed centered against the far wall, raised up several steps on a dais. Despite the size of the room and the high ceiling, the dark crimson draperies gave it an oppressive feeling. The bed itself was framed by heavy wooden bedposts with an elaborately carved dragon snaking over the top, overhung with a dark curtain. Zuko climbed into the shadows of the bed to lie on his back and Katara shivered involuntarily as she followed him into the darkness, sliding across the blood-red silk sheets.

Shyu bowed. "I must go to the Dragon Bone Catacombs to help the other sages find the relevant secret histories."

"Were you just making that up to buy us some time? Or do you really think there's a precedent down there?" Zuko asked.

"I have personally recopied many of the scrolls relating to royal succession. I promise you, I will find a solution that even the Great Sage can't deny."

Katara shook her head. "I don't understand why he thinks he can decide who will be the next Fire lord."

Zuko laughed dryly. "A long time ago, the Fire lord _was_ a sage – the leader of the council of sages. But at some point in history a Fire lord got tired of that arrangement, and seized military control of the Fire Nation for himself. Since then the sages have had more of a ceremonial role."

"Fire Lord Sozin went even farther, demanding that the sages be loyal to him above the Avatar." Shyu shook his head sadly. "Now the sages have lost any spiritual authority. That's why Avatar Roku destroyed the temple at Crescent Island."

"Then why do we even care what the so-called Great Sage thinks?" Katara scoffed.

"I don't care. Being Fire Lord is my destiny. I'm not going to let some bureaucratic snag get in my way," Zuko said grimly.

"Yes, but the road to peace will be a hard one," Shyu warned. "The people mistrust you, and the Generals will have no interest in ending the war. Having the law, and the sages, on your side will give authority to your claim. I'm sure I can find a way."

"Will the other sages follow you?" Katara asked.

Shyu nodded. "I had to disavow the Avatar and pledge loyalty to Ozai before the Great Sage would support my release from prison. It's a good thing I've had years of practice hiding my true mission. I lied well enough to be entrusted with Princess Azula's coronation. But you know my duty is to aid the Avatar, and those who serve him."

Shyu bowed low and backed out of the room. Katara could hear his sandals slapping against the marble floor of the corridor as he hurried away. Otherwise the immense palace was eerily quiet.

"Let me check your wound again," Katara said, sitting on her knees at Zuko's side. She carefully smoothed aside the burned fragments of his robe to inspect the angry red burn that reached from his navel to just below his heart.

"Am I going to live?" Zuko teased.

She placed her hand on his chest and smiled at the strong, stubborn beat under her palm. "I don't think your heart was damaged, and the skin will only scar slightly. But you need rest to complete the healing process."

Zuko clasped her hand where it lay on his chest. "Stay with me." His long fingers absently stroked her knuckles, down the back of her hand to the tender inside of her wrist.

Her breath caught at the gentle touch, but she masked her reaction with a look of false indignation. "Is that an order, My Lord?"

He didn't rise to the bait. "A request. Please, Katara. I hate being back in the palace again. It's not a home, it's a mausoleum. I can feel the bad memories roaming the halls like vindictive ghosts."

"I thought you wanted come back here? You said it was your destiny."

"It is my destiny - to end this war, and restore balance to my people. But it won't be pleasant, or easy." He smiled grimly. "Nothing about my life has been easy."

Katara leaned onto one elbow, moving her other hand from his chest up to stroke the tension lines that crossed his forehead. "Sleep, then, Prince Zuko. I'll stay by your side to keep the ghosts away. I won't leave you," she promised. His eyes closed and his breathing gradually became deep and slow, as if his body had instinctively obeyed her instructions.

Katara lowered her head to rest next to his on the silk pillow. From this side his scar was hidden, and her gaze traveled from his unruly black hair, across the regal lines of his nose and cheeks, to his thin lips. It was rare that she saw his face relaxed, and she realized that his features were actually quite handsome. For so long she had seen only the arrogance in his fierce scowl. Now that she knew him better, she understood how much pain and fear had hid under that mask. She wanted to soothe the raw edges of those wounds, find a way to heal the hurt inside just as she healed the flesh outside. Unconsciously, she traced a finger lightly along his bottom lip, down his chin, to the steady pulse at the hollow of this throat.

The gang liked to joke that she was the mother of the group, fussing and bossing and taking care of everyone. But the way she felt about Zuko was nothing like the safe affection she felt for Sokka or Toph or Aang. Zuko wasn't safe. He was tormented, confused, stubborn, and she knew first-hand the pain his bad choices had wrought. When they first met, he had blazed like the fire that he called so easily to his hands, full of violence, bitterness, and anger. But in the months since then he'd tempered that flame into a steady glow within, achieving peace and purpose on his own. She was awed by his strength, his determination.

It wasn't until those few terrible moments when he was dying and she feared she wouldn't be able to save him that she began to grasp how important he had become to her. Somehow he had gone from being her enemy, to being a friend – or more. He challenged her, defended her, but never held back. He gave as good as he got, not afraid of her temper. That's what made him different from Sokka or Aang, she realized – he didn't try to placate or please her, like she was a child. No, Zuko treated her like an equal. Like an adult. Like a woman.

Katara felt a surge of anger at the thought of all the things he'd had to overcome. He'd never known the love and loyalty of a father, or sibling, or tribe, like she had. Instead, he had been betrayed by the very people who were supposed to protect him. Only his Uncle truly cared for Zuko, but Iroh was stuck in the Earth Kingdom indefinitely. She didn't know anything about his mother except what he'd told her in Ba Sing Se: she had been taken from him by the Fire Nation. He deserved so much better – he deserved to have someone love him unconditionally. To have someone he could trust completely. Someone he could count on to always watch his back. The righteous anger coursed through her, swelling until she felt something inside her crack and shift, like an ice floe breaking away from the shore.

She could be that someone. To hold him, defend him from his enemies, protect him from his memories. He could trust her, count on her. Love her.

"I won't leave you, Zuko," she promised again.


	2. Chapter 2: Surprises

A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Two: Surprises

Zuko was instantly awake and alert, a survival technique he had perfected during those months on the run when he didn't have the luxury of waking up slowly. The angle of sunlight through the curtains on the far wall indicated that it was still early in the morning, and he was disappointed to find himself alone in his bed. He had woken several times during the night, Azula tormenting him in dark dreams that ended in either lightning or ash. Each time he had jerked awake to find Katara tucked warmly against his shoulder with an arm or a leg – or both – stretched protectively over him. Her presence soothed him like nothing he had ever known. To his surprise, he had managed to get a decent amount of sleep despite the nightmares.

He stretched carefully, feeling the pull of newly healed skin across his chest. As he washed and dressed he mentally reviewed the list of things he would need to accomplish immediately, if not sooner. It was a long list. Meetings with the generals to begin withdrawing the army. Communicating with his people to soothe their fears – and head off any possible riots. Appointing ambassadors to initiate peace treaties with the other nations. He would need to review almost every part of the government as soon as possible, from prisons to schools to markets. And to top it all off, Azula had scared off all the palace staff, so he'd have to fix that too.

"Thanks a lot, sister," he groaned.

"Who are you calling sister?" The doors to his room burst open and Katara blew in like a sudden summer typhoon. "It's about time you got up, lazybones," she teased. "First day on the job, there's no time to sleep late!"

He smiled as she crossed the room and came to a halt in front of him. Her gaze traveled from his eyes down to his waist where he had tied his morning gown.

"Let me have a look," she demanded, reaching out to pull his gown open and trace her fingers gently across his wound.

He couldn't think of another person in the world who would have been so casual about touching him. Anyone else would have found their fingers crushed before they reached his robe, but it felt strangely right to have Katara fussing over him. "Are you always this bossy first thing in the morning?"

"No, Zuko," she smiled. "I'm this bossy all the time." She withdrew some water from her waterskin and he felt the last vestiges of pain ease as the blue healing glow spread across his skin. Katara had closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly as she concentrated. The glow faded but her hands remained braced on his chest, and he was in no hurry end the session. All too soon her eyes opened and refocused, and a delightful blush stained her cheeks. "There, you're, uh, all good now," she said, patting his stomach and then backing away.

She turned around and began pacing alongside the bed, speaking quickly, almost nervously. "I've rounded up about half of the staff and got them back to work. Breakfast will be ready soon. I also tracked down the head of the Royal Guard and he'll be here shortly for orders. A few of the Ministers seem to have avoided Azula's banishment spree, so I got them started recalling all the others. Hopefully you'll have an actual government to run by lunchtime."

He had to admit it, he was impressed. "Didn't anyone object to taking orders from – "

"A peasant?" Katara challenged.

"A stranger," Zuko corrected. "The idea that someone could walk into the palace and start ordering the Royal Guard around worries me."

Katara shrugged. "They're used to following orders, and they were lost without anyone to lead them. Besides, I told them everything was by command of Fire Lord Zuko." Her playful smile was followed by an exaggerated bow.

He gave her a regal nod of his head which, as he expected, provoked a laugh from Katara. "If you're so willing to help, I have a long list of things to do. Maybe you could take over a few for me?"

"Of course, Zuko. You can count on me," Katara said, with a strange knowing smile that Zuko couldn't quite decipher.

They shared a working breakfast, redeploying the Royal Guard and sending out summons to all the generals in between hurried bites of steamed rice and nattō. Zuko was just beginning to feel a sense of accomplishment when the fire sages entered the dining hall. He watched the Great Sage approach with a confident stride, his face smug, and knew things were about to get ugly. He decided to take the offensive immediately.

"Great Sage, I trust you are not interrupting my breakfast without good cause. Report on the results of your search of the secret histories," Zuko ordered, watching with satisfaction as the sage's superior expression wavered a bit.

"We have indeed found a solution. There have been several cases in which a third person was attacked during an agni-kai and struck back. Tradition accorded that person the same rights as the original contestants in the duel."

Surely it couldn't be this easy. "Then the matter is resolved?"

The Great Sage nodded, but his arrogant smile made it clear he held another trick up his sleeve. "Precedent is clear. If a sitting fire lord is killed during an agni-kai, the winner is declared the new fire lord."

Zuko quietly let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. "Make your preparations, I want the coronation tonight. I need to be ordained Fire Lord officially as soon as possible-"

"Not you,_ Prince_ Zuko. _You_ didn't defeat Azula. According to tradition, the new Fire Lord is _her_." The Great Sage nodded scornfully toward Katara.

"Fire Lord? Me?" Katara gasped. "That's impossible!"

The Great Sage finally faced her. "It was you who defeated Azula. You are royalty, are you not?"

"No!"

"Her father, Chief Hakoda, is ruler of her tribe," Zuko pointed out. "As his daughter, she could be considered a princess." He wasn't sure where exactly the Great Sage was going with this, but he decided to let the old man play his games a little longer before choosing a counter-strategy.

Katara threw up her hands. "The Southern Water Tribe doesn't have royalty! And besides, it doesn't matter. I'm not even Fire Nation!"

"We discovered many precedents in the secret histories. Hundreds of years ago, it was quite common for royalty of other nations to make political marriages within the Fire Nation."

"But no one would accept a waterbender as Fire Lord!"

The Great Sage smiled confidently now. "You're right, it would probably lead to civil war. The best thing would be for you to abdicate the throne."

"And then Zuko would become Fire Lord, right? He's still heir to the throne."

"He has been banished, branded a traitor. According to the law, he cannot inherit. He shouldn't even set foot on Fire Nation territory," the Great Sage said with a hard glance at Zuko. "However the next in line is a descendent of Fire Lord Sozin and a fine -"

Zuko almost laughed. "You mean cousin Mori? He spends his days painting landscapes and making teapots. He can't run the Fire Nation. But perhaps that's been your plan all along, to put a puppet on the throne?"

Katara pushed up from her seat and stalked around the table, stopping in front of the Great Sage and pointing her finger in his face. "Your laws don't mean a thing to me! Zuko has to be Fire Lord. He's the only one who can end the fighting in the Fire Nation." She turned, looking back at Zuko across the table, and her voice softened. 'Without him, the world won't have a chance at peace."

The Great Sage was unmoved. "I don't make the laws, but I cannot allow them to be ignored."

Shyu stepped forward from the knot of sages and cleared his throat nervously. "Perhaps there is a way. I found a most illuminating scroll last night." He pulled a roll of parchment out from his sleeve.

"What is that?" the Great Sage demanded.

"This is a list of all the consorts in the first thousand years of the Nation's history." Shyu looked at Katara. "Forgive my impertinence, My Lady, but is it true that you are only fifteen years old?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Fire Nation law permits a consort to take over temporarily when the throne is inherited by a child. The Royal Consort can rule as Fire Lord until the true heir turns sixteen."

Zuko was shaking his head before Shyu finished speaking. "No, there has to be another way."

"What's the problem?" Katara asked. "They can appoint you consort and you can rule right away. That gives us the six months until I turn sixteen to figure something else out."

"There's only one way to become a consort," Zuko warned.

"My Lady, consorts are not appointed," Shyu explained. "If you choose Prince Zuko as your Royal Consort, then you have no choice. You have to marry him."

Zuko watched Katara's eyes widen in shock as the truth set in. When she looked at him, he nodded to confirm the sage's assessment. She backed away and then whirled suddenly, bolting from the room.

"That's the best you can do for me, Shyu?" Zuko growled. "Banishment or marriage?"

Shyu bowed apologetically. "These are unusual circumstances, My Lord. But if you want a legal claim to the throne, this is the best route."

"Let me see that scroll!" barked the Great Sage, pulling it abruptly from Shyu's grasp.

Zuko tapped his fingers unconsciously on the dining table, weighing his options while the sages argued. He was meeting with the generals that afternoon to order troop withdrawals, which was not going to go over well. If the sages refused to crown him Fire Lord and supported his idiotic cousin instead, there would be a full-blown revolt against him by nightfall. The idea of a political marriage didn't disturb him at all. It was expected when you were born into the royal family. But he balked at thinking of Katara in such a callous way, as a pawn to be maneuvered for his gain. Someone like her, so full of passion and heart, could never be happy in a marriage of convenience. She deserved better.

Not that she would ever agree to such a proposal anyway. Aang should be arriving soon, and while he wasn't entirely sure where things stood between them, it was clear they had a long history with each other before he had joined their group. And then there was Jet, and the earthbender Haru, and that waterbender Bato…Katara had a long list of admirers, and plenty of other options.

Still, now that it had been brought up, he couldn't stop himself from imagining what it would feel like if Katara chose him. Married him. What a wife she would be! Strong enough to win an agni-kai, bold enough to face down the Great Sage, yet with a kind and compassionate spirit that would win over his people if given a chance. There was so much work to be done, and with a partner like her by his side, he might have a shot at success. Of course, since the mere suggestion of marrying him had sent her running out of the room, he probably shouldn't get too attached to the idea.

"I'm going to talk to her," he announced, ignoring the debating sages and striding from the room.

Where would she have gone? Back to his quarters? If there's one thing he was good at, it was chasing down his quarry. He tried to put himself in her mindset. Where would an upset waterbender instinctively flee to in the palace? She would go somewhere quiet, but with plenty of water. He smiled, and turned toward the palace gardens.


	3. Chapter 3: Answers

A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Three: Answers

Katara sat on the edge of the fountain, watching the baby turtle-ducks chase each other around the lily pads. She trailed her fingers through the water, hoping its ebb and flow would wash the tension and confusion from her mind. Marry Zuko? She was shocked – not at the idea of marrying him, but at how incredibly tempted she was. It was as if Shyu had looked inside her heart and seen her deepest desire, one buried so far down that even she didn't recognize it until it was brought out into the sunlight.

She'd awoken just before daybreak this morning to find herself clinging to Zuko like he was her anchor in that vast, slippery sea he called a bed. Her head lay on his chest and she could hear his heartbeat, strong and soothing, in the predawn quiet. He radiated warmth like a campfire, and in her drowsy state she wanted to linger by the source of that heat as long as possible. She felt safe in his arms, sheltered, and when was the last time she felt like that? Before her father left for war? Before her mother died? How strange it was that the Fire Nation had torn her family apart, and yet now the Fire Lord himself was the only one who could make her feel whole again.

Not that he was the Fire Lord yet, she reminded herself. The Great Sage was obviously trying to turn things to his advantage at Zuko's expense. If he thought some bureaucratic technicality was going to stop Zuko from realizing his destiny, then the Great Sage was the biggest fool in the Fire Nation. She had vowed last night to be there for Zuko no matter what, to defend him, support him, the way no one else ever had. Well, he needed her now. She would do anything and everything in her power to help him. If that meant going along with Shyu's scheme, so be it.

"I thought I'd find you here." Zuko's voice startled her, and she turned to see him leave the stone path to join her at the fountain. The baby turtle-ducks quacked at him and swam away, their tail feathers quivering indignantly. "They never did like me," he said with a smile as he sat down beside her.

"Zuko – "

He held up his hand. "Katara, before you say anything, I need you to know that you won't be forced into any decisions. I'm sure you had plans, maybe to go back to your tribe. The last thing you probably want is to stay in the Fire Nation."

Katara shook her head. "I haven't made any kind of plans. I was so focused on getting through the comet, I didn't think past that."

"But with the war finally over, and your father free, don't you want to return to your people? You haven't been home in almost a year." Zuko reached out to touch the back of her hand. "I know what it's like to be homesick. I can't ask you to stay here with me."

Katara was silent for a moment, trying to find a way to describe the warring impulses within her. "I do want to finally have more time with my father, and to see how Gran Gran and Pakku and everyone else are doing. But – I'm not sure how to explain this – I'm not the same girl who left home all those months ago." She spread her hands wide. "I've seen the whole world, done things I could have never imagined. After all that, I'm not sure I could be happy spending the rest of my life back in my village. Does that sound horrible?"

Zuko shook his head. "I spent three years wanting to come home and be Prince of the Fire Nation again. But when I finally got here, I realized I didn't fit in that role anymore. I had changed too much. I had to find a new path for myself."

Katara nodded. "I can still see my father, and help my people, but in a different way. By doing everything I can to ensure peace between the nations."

"Even if it means you have to marry me?" Zuko teased.

"It's not as much of a hardship as you seem to think it is," Katara said wryly.

Zuko smiled briefly, but when he spoke again, his voice was serious. "You deserve to marry someone you love. I can't ask you to accept a political arrangement just for my convenience."

Katara turned back to the water, her thoughts turbulent again. Political decisions were easy, but making sense of her emotions was next to impossible. Her feelings for Zuko were strong, but they were also new. Was it love? She didn't know, but why did he instantly assume she couldn't possibly love him? After years of being told he was unworthy of love by his father and sister, it was as though he couldn't imagine anyone actually loving him. The thought made her angry, and the protective instincts from last night resurfaced.

"Zuko, I know I didn't trust you when you first tried to join Aang and the rest of us. I said some pretty mean things to you, and I'm sorry for that."

"It was nothing I didn't deserve," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "No, you don't deserve insults. You've earned my trust."

"You have my trust as well, Katara." He looked down at their joined hands, he voice raspy with emotion. "I never realized what an impossible task it would be to bring peace to the Fire Nation. I'm not sure I can do it by myself. Please, help me. Stand at my side. Be my wife."

Katara leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. She slid her lips down to his scarred ear and whispered her answer. "Yes, Zuko. I'll stand by you. I'll marry you."

His hands tightened on hers, then he leapt to his feet and pulled her up into an embrace. She laughed as he rocked her awkwardly. "Thank you, Katara." Hands entwined, they left the fountain and turned back to the path. "Let's go break the news to the Great Sage. I'm sure he'll want to be the first to congratulate us," Zuko said dryly.

"Congratulate you for what?" The Avatar's voice stopped both of them in their tracks.

"Aang!" Katara raced forward to envelop him in a hug. Then she pulled back and looked him up and down. "You're not hurt?"

He shook his head. 'I'm okay."

"What about my father?" Zuko asked. "What happened to him?"

"He's still alive," Aang said. At their surprised expressions, he quickly explained his newfound ability to bend energy. "Sokka and Suki are keeping an eye on him until we can get him in prison. But without his firebending, he won't be able to hurt anyone again. Maybe he and Azula can share a cell." Aang laughed, but quickly noticed they weren't laughing with him. "What's the matter? Did Azula escape?"

Katara cleared her throat. "Noooo – it's just, well, she's not in prison."

"She's dead," Zuko said flatly. "She nearly killed me with a lightning bolt. There was no other way to stop her."

"So you killed your own sister?"

"No," Katara said. "_I_ killed her." She watched the emotions play out on Aang's face: first shock, then disappointment, then suspicion.

"Wasn't there any other way to stop her?" he asked.

"What, do you think I _wanted_ to have her life on my hands?"

"I don't know. Sometimes your temper gets away from you. Maybe there was another way to stop her. Maybe you wanted revenge."

Katara felt hot tears rush to her eyes, and her fists clenched with the effort it took to keep from shouting back at him. "Well, I'm sorry I'm not some all-powerful energybender like you are. You weren't there! Zuko was dying!"

Zuko took one of her fists into his hand and ran his thumb firmly along her wrist. Her hand relaxed instantly, and she felt the fight drain out of the rest of her body as well. "She's right," he said. "If she hadn't acted quickly, Azula would have killed both of us."

Katara angrily wiped away her tears, and when Zuko pulled her into an embrace, she went willingly. Hearing him defend her meant so much. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, and let his arms wrap around her. His hand at the small of her back pulled her tight against him, and she bunched her hands up in the back of his royal robes. She closed her eyes, letting the simple heat of his body, the weight of his touch, comfort her.

"Look, Katara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything," Aang said.

After a few moments, Katara took a deep breath and then pulled out of Zuko's embrace. "Aang, I think we need to talk. Zuko, why don't you go tell the Great Sage – what we decided."

Zuko glanced reluctantly at Aang. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm sure," she replied. Zuko squeezed her hands one last time, and then strode back into the Palace. "Aang, I have something else to tell you. I'm not sure you're going to like it." She described the problem of Zuko's succession, and the compromise they worked out with the Great Sage.

"Married?" Aang's voice broke halfway through the word. "When?"

"Right away. Maybe even tonight. There's so much to do, and we have to make Zuko's authority official as soon as possible. Please don't be angry."

Aang shook his head. "I'm just surprised Katara. Why would I be angry?"

Katara blushed. "Well, back at Ember Island, when you kissed me…I thought that after the comet, you'd expect some kind of answer from me about….about us."

To her surprise, Aang didn't blush or stutter. He simply looked sad. "Things are different now. I had to do something, when I was fighting Ozai."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I went to Guru Pathik? I was supposed to learn how to master the avatar state. But ever since Ba Sing Se, I haven't been able to get in the avatar state at all."

"You never told me that. What was the problem?"

"You were the problem, Katara." At her look of confusion, he explained, "well, really it was my problem. The guru said the only way I would be able to control the avatar state was to let go of all worldly attachments. But I couldn't let go of you."

"So I was stopping you from entering the avatar state?"

"Not you, exactly. My feelings about you. They were blocking my chakra. That's what I had to do to defeat Ozai. The only way I could get to the avatar state, and get the power to energybend, was to let you go."

Katara expected to feel a wave of sadness. After all, Aang's crush on her had been painfully obvious for the past year, and she had spent many sleepless nights around the campfire trying to decide how to respond to him. But the overwhelming sense of relief she now felt made her own feelings clear for the first time. Yes, she loved Aang – as a friend, or a brother. Nothing more.

"I'm glad you're not upset, Aang. It means a lot to me to have your support on this." They turned and began walking companionably back into the palace.

"Hey, I was the one who told you Zuko was a good guy," Aang reminded her, laughing. "It just took you a long time to admit I was right. Besides, it's not me you should be worried about. Hakoda's ship was just pulling into port when I got here."

Katara chuckled. "Oh, I'm not worried. I think Zuko can handle Dad." In fact, she realized, there wasn't much her husband-to-be couldn't handle.


	4. Chapter 4: Ceremony

A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Four: Ceremony

Zuko pulled down his robe and straightened his sash for probably the tenth time. His meeting with the generals had run late, but he'd overcome most of their objections and felt reasonably confident that they would follow his orders to draw down the troops. Shyu had been working frantically all day to get the ceremonies ready for tonight, and Zuko suddenly realized he had a mere half hour until he would be Fire Lord – and husband. He was just smoothing a stray hair back into his topknot when a dagger flew across the room to sink into the wood paneling beside him.

"You bastard!"

He whirled around in time to see Mai pull two more small blades from her sleeves and send them flying. He controlled the impulse to duck and felt them pass mere inches from his face before hitting the wall next to the first dagger. Mai's aim was impeccable – if she had really wanted to hit him, she would have.

"Now I know why you broke up with me," she screeched. "That stupid letter you wrote about not wanting to hurt me, it was full of lies! You just wanted to be with your little water tribe harlot!"

"Katara is not a harlot," Zuko replied instantly, but when Mai's shrieks rose another octave, he realized that was probably not the best response to an enraged knife-wielding ex-girlfriend.

"Oh, no, now she's going to be Fire Lord! What a joke! She's going to be a disgrace to the throne, and the nation, walking around the palace in those dirty fur robes. And that hair! It's like she's wearing an animal pelt on her head!"

Zuko was surprised at Mai's pettiness. Besides, he liked Katara's hair. It wasn't straight and smooth like Mai's. No, it was wild and unruly, like Katara herself, and when she wore it down his hands twitched with the impulse to run his fingers through it. Not that he was going to tell Mai that. "She defeated Azula in an agni-kai. The sages are just following tradition," he reasoned.

"And I went to prison for you! I saved your ass at Boiling Rock, remember? And what thanks do I get?"

"Mai, we'll always be friends – "

"Screw friends!" Mai reached into her other sleeve, pulling out what looked suspiciously like poison darts. This time Zuko dropped and rolled, barely dodging her throw.

"You broke up with me first!" he shouted defensively. "At Ember Island! Mai, we both knew things weren't working out between us."

"Yea, I was tired of your temper. You were always so cranky."

"You're calling _me_ cranky?"

Mai straightened and looked at Zuko scornfully. "I'm through with you, Zuko. You had your chance." She spun around and stalked out of the room, chin held high.

Zuko got to his feet and blew out an exasperated breath, muttering something about "women" and "crazy" while he tried to fix his robes. He looked fairly respectable again by the time Shyu rushed into his room.

"It's time, My Lord. Everything is ready," Shyu said with a deep bow.

"Lead on," Zuko said, following Shyu through the familiar halls of the palace to the ceremonial plaza. It was hard to believe this was the same square where his deadly battle with Azula had raged less than a day ago. Twinkling lights and garlands of fire lilies had been strung along the portico. Dinner tables lined the outer edges of the plaza. In the center, people from all the nations were assembled in three columns. Unlike a traditional wedding, most of the "guests" consisted of Water Tribe soldiers and allies from the Earth Kingdom who had just arrived that afternoon, as well as a group of uncomfortable-looking aristocrats from the Fire Nation.

Zuko quickly took his place in front of the sages, noticing a large candle representing the Fire of Unity sitting unlit on a pedestal before him. He realized he wasn't sure exactly what a marriage ceremony entailed, since he'd only attended a few, and that was years ago. He'd been too busy to go over the details today, preferring to leave everything to Shyu. It was too late to worry about it now, he realized, as the musicians started and he turned to see Katara entering the portico on her father's arm.

Zuko's breath caught in his throat. Her blue robes had been replaced by an elaborate white silk gown sewn with pearls and rubies in a pattern that reminded him of a glittering fire lily. Her hair was piled elaborately on top of her head, and a gossamer-thin veil did little to hide her blushing cheeks. He had never seen Katara dressed so regally, and in the elegant wedding dress she looked both exotically different and yet hauntingly familiar.

His gaze was so focused on Katara that he didn't even notice her father until the Chief cleared his throat loudly. A few hours ago they'd signed a marriage contract that Shyu had written, guaranteeing a long list of protections for the Southern Water Tribe in exchange for Katara's hand. Her father was a tough negotiator – something Zuko admired. He stepped forward, extending his right hand, and Hakoda gripped his forearm in a Water Tribe greeting.

"I realize I owe you for rescuing me from Boiling Rock, but this isn't quite how I expected to repay you," Hakoda joked. Katara elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"You don't owe me anything, Chief Hakoda. It is I who am in your debt for agreeing to this marriage. I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to care for and protect your daughter. "

Hakoda nodded, and then turned toward Katara to grasp her hands. "I only just found you again, and now you're leaving. You're not a little girl anymore."

"I'm not leaving, Dad. We'll see each other as much as possible," Katara insisted. "But you're right, I'm not a little girl. I have a job to do, with Zuko. And we need your support."

Hakoda raised an eyebrow and looked back at Zuko. "You have it." Hakoda bowed and gently placed Katara's hands in Zuko's grasp, then stepped to the side.

The Great Sage stepped forward and held up his hands to signal the beginning of the ceremony. Zuko ignored him, his attention focused entirely on Katara at his side. She was looking down at her feet, avoiding his gaze. Her hands were cold, he noticed, and he gently summoned enough heat into his fists to warm them. She stiffened in surprise, and then finally looked up at him. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

She smiled finally and tightened her hands in his. "Let's do this!"

He had expected her to be nervous, and he had just wanted to make sure she wasn't having second thoughts. He should have known better. When had Katara ever backed down from a challenge?


	5. Chapter 5: Breath of Life

A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Five: Breath of Life

Katara barely heard the wedding vows the Great Sage was rattling off. Something about sickness and health…providing comfort…until death. Every time she felt panic stir in the pit of her stomach, she gripped Zuko's hands tighter and reminded herself why she was here. This marriage would help bring peace to the world. Just as important, it would help bring peace to Zuko. He needed her. She was beginning to realize that maybe she needed him, too.

"Now the bride and groom will exchange the Breath of Life," announced the Great Sage loudly, jolting her back to the ceremony.

"The what of what?" she whispered to Zuko.

"Didn't Shyu tell you?" he asked, turning her to face him. She shook her head. "It's a Fire Nation custom, symbolizing the joining of two lives into one. We are to exchange our breath, like our essence, the source of firebending in the body."

"Okay…how do we do that?"

He reached up and gently raised her veil, guiding the thin white silk to rest behind her ears. "Part your lips, and when I breathe out, you breathe in." Framing her face lightly with his fingers, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, holding it for a moment in concentration. Then he leaned down to rest his lips over hers, slowly releasing his breath into her mouth.

A wave of sensation washed over Katara, drowning all rational thought. Her surroundings seemed to float away as her entire being focused on Zuko. The impact of his lips on hers, gentle though his touch was, rocked her to her core. She expected his breath to be somehow smoky, as a reminder of the source of his fire. But instead she tasted a tantalizing richness, a sensation of umami that filled her with satisfaction. All the tension flowed out of her body and she leaned into Zuko, his fingers under her jaw the only thing keeping her upright.

After she had taken in his Breath of Life, he pulled back, giving both of them a chance to regain their senses. "Now it's your turn," he said. "Take as deep a breath as you can, and then give it back to me."

She wasn't sure she was going to be able to pull this off, but she breathed in deeply through her nose as he'd instructed. He was tall enough that she had to wait for him to bend down so she could reach his lips. But when he seemed to hesitate, she grabbed his formal robes in her fists and impatiently pulled him down, pressing her mouth to his with far less gentleness than he had shown. She didn't pay much attention to her breath, too focused on regaining the feel of his lips. She angled her head and ran her tongue along his lower lip, moaning softly when she was rewarded with another sumptuous taste. She vaguely heard a persistent coughing from the direction of the fire sages grow louder and louder until Zuko finally gripped her arms and pulled back, ending the kiss. They were both gasping for breath as the roar of the audience, a mixture of cheering and laughing, swept over them.

Katara felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. What in the name of the Spirits had come over her? She risked a glance up at Zuko to see if he was laughing at her, but instead he looked sort of stunned. With a sour frown, the Great Sage lit the large candle in front of them, then pronounced them husband and wife. Zuko took her hand again so they could turn and face the crowd. Katara realized that Sokka, and Aang, and Toph, and…well…everyone had just watched her assault Zuko. She gritted her teeth and raised her chin high. Fine, let them look. If there was anyone out there who had thought for a second that she was being forced into this, she'd just set them straight.

Suddenly the Great Sage was droning on again, and Zuko tugged her down to kneel in front of the crowd. Shyu stood behind her to the right, holding a red velvet pillow with what looked like two heavy gold headdresses. She realized something important was happening and tried to pay attention.

"According to tradition, by virtue of her defeat or Fire Lord Azula in an agni-kai, I now crown Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe Fire Lord. Hail Fire Lord Katara!" the Great Sage proclaimed, placing the large headdress into her hair.

She couldn't believe the crowd was cheering and not booing. Of course, less than a third of the onlookers were Fire Nation, and they seemed to be in a state of shock.

The Great Sage picked up the smaller headdress, which looked exactly like the one she'd seen on the statue of Avatar Roku, and placed it on Zuko's head. "Crown Prince Zuko, Royal Consort of Fire Lord Katara, I now crown you Fire Lord. Hail Fire Lord Zuko!"

The Fire Nation section of the crowd finally perked up a little and joined the others already cheering. Katara blew out a tense breath. They'd pulled it off. For better or worse, they would be responsible for ending the war…together.


	6. Chapter 6: Reception

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Six: Reception**

Zuko was dangerously close to losing his temper. He'd always considered small talk to be something only slightly better than torture, and so far he'd endured nearly two hours of circulating dutifully among the wedding guests, being patted on the back and toasted until he felt like he was going to start breathing out smoke – literally.

The only consolation was being able to watch Katara. She positively glowed, laughing and smiling as she graciously greeted their friends and subjects. She seemed to sense whenever he came close to exploding with impatience, because she always found an excuse to take his hand, or send him an amused glance, that was just enough to defuse his temper.

They paused at a table where Sokka was talking excitedly with two oversized earthbenders who, as far as he could make out, had been some kind of wrestlers before the war. Sokka must have had a few cups of celebratory sake in him, because he was dedicating haikus to them – loudly.

"_Beware The Boulder!  
He has long hair like a girl,  
Big rocks he can hurl."_

"Nice, Sokka," Katara laughed.

"Hey, sis! Er…Fire Lord…whatever. Check out the buffet! It's awesome!"

"I told them to make sure there were extra bowls of fire crisps just for you," Katara said.

"You're the best. Hey, Zuko, nice ceremony there. I almost cried!"

"I can believe that," Zuko replied drily.

"So, now that we're brothers and all, can I borrow a tank?"

"A tank? Why do you need a tank?"

Sokka waved his hand casually in the air. "I just want to see how they work. I was thinking about a modified version, maybe on skis, that would help us with the rebuilding in the South Pole."

"Fire Nation tanks rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe?" Zuko mused. "I guess it could work. We'd have to alter the engines, though, to withstand the cold." Zuko leaned forward to discuss the modifications with Sokka, and Katara drifted off to talk to Suki.

A few minutes later, he and Sokka had worked out a rough plan for redeploying some Fire Nation tanks and soldiers on a peaceful nation-building mission to the Southern Water Tribe, with Sokka in command. Suddenly Zuko heard a screeching sound and looked up to see Toph sitting next to Haru, the young earthbender who'd been following Katara around the Southern Air Temple like a koala-puppy.

"No, no, not like that. If you want to metalbend, you have to feel each piece of the earth inside the metal." She proceeded to demonstrate by crumpling what looked suspiciously like an antique Han dynasty serving platter. Zuko winced and turned away, searching the crowd for Katara.

She was the only one wearing white, which helped him quickly locate her. She was in the center of the plaza among a crowd of dancers. He stalked closer and realized she was dancing with Aang. It looked like some kind of formal Earth Kingdom dance, and they were circling around each other, laughing. He felt a swift stab of jealousy but managed to bring himself to a halt outside the ring of dancers. What was he going to do, push his way rashly through the throng of people to demand she stop dancing with Aang? He had no intention of dancing himself, and he would look like a fool for interrupting them. Aang was now wearing the official robes and necklace of a monk, and had quite likely taken a monk's vow of celibacy as well. Zuko knew how ridiculous it was for him to resent Aang's hand on Katara's waist, but he couldn't help it. Just then she glanced up and met his gaze across the crowd. With a quick word to Aang, she headed straight for him across the crush of people. He felt the tension in his chest ease. She was coming to him. She chose him.

"Zuko, I think I've had all the partying I can take for one night. Let's thank our guests and then get out of here," Katara suggested, taking him by the hand and pulling him toward the portico. He wasn't sure if she was truly tired, or if she simply saw how tense he was becoming and decided to give him an easy excuse to leave. Either way, he was grateful.

They climbed the steps to the dais together and turned to look out over the crowd of well-wishers. After a few hours of music and drinking, Zuko was happy to see the guests of all nations intermingling with each other. The red robes of the Fire Nation guests were evenly mixed with the green Earth Kingdom and blue Water Tribe uniforms. Of course, it probably helped that the guests from the Fire Nation were predominantly female, since most of the men of his nation were deployed in the war. He wondered idly if there would be any more marriages across the nations as a result of this evening.

"How are we going to get their attention?" Katara asked, raising her voice over the din of the crowd.

Zuko shrugged. "I could send a fireball over their heads."

Katara slapped him on the arm. "Not very festive, Zuko. I would bend some water to get their attention, but the fountains are too far away." She scanned the plaza, and then turned to him with a mischievous smile. "Instead of waterbending, how about punchbending?"

She reached out her arms and the fire punch slowly rose up from the bowls on the banquet tables. The red spiced juice formed into long tendrils that wound through the air toward the dais, responding to Katara's call. The crowd slowly quieted and turned toward them, watching the unusual display. Katara began to shape the punch into a swirling circle high in the air, and Zuko's lips twitched into the ghost of a smile as he raised his right fist, launching an intense fireball directly into the heart of the red orb. It dissolved into a cloud of crimson steam, and the crowd began to clap and cheer.

Zuko reached down to take Katara's hand and felt confidence and purpose fill him. This was his destiny, and he was prepared to seize it. "Today, this war is finally over. I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided." He gestured to Aang, who stood near the dancers in the center of the plaza. "But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace."

The crowd roared in approval and Katara squeezed his hand, beaming at him. It was really amazing how quickly a man's fortunes could change, he mused. One day ago the world was teetering on the brink of destruction and he was an outcast, about to die at his own sister's hand. Today saw the birth of a fragile peace and the restoration of his rightful place in the Fire Nation. Much of his good fortune, he realized, was a direct result of Katara's influence. She had saved his life, saved his throne, and with it, saved his nation. He raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Perhaps, if he was very lucky, she would save his heart as well.


	7. Chapter 7: Wedding Night

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Seven: Wedding Night**

"Congratulations, Katara!" Suki cried, wrapping Katara in a fierce hug. Zuko let go of her hand and stepped to the side to receive the final best wishes from the nobles lining the portico.

Toph added an affectionate punch to her arm, then consented to give Katara an actual hug. "Hey, go easy on Zuko tonight. He's got a lot of work to do tomorrow, he'll need his strength," she teased.

Katara frowned. "What are you talking about? Go easy on Zuko?"

Suki laughed. "It's your wedding night, silly. What do you think we're talking about?"

"I don't – Oh!" Katara blushed when she finally realized why they were laughing. She felt like an idiot, but somehow she had been so focused all day on the details of the wedding, she hadn't given a moment's thought to what would happen _after_ the ceremony. "Spirits, what am I going to do?"

Her distress merely sent Suki and Toph into another round of laughter. "Just be gentle!" Suki warned.

Suddenly a warm hand gripped her elbow, and Katara flinched as she looked up to meet Zuko's golden gaze.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She had never paid much attention to the raspy quality of his voice before. But now, anxiety heightening her senses, its rough timbre sent shivers along her spine. His hand seemed larger, stronger, than she remembered, the heat of his fingers fairly burning through her silk gown.

She glanced at the entrance and saw the fire sages lining up, as if they were preparing for some sort of procession. A panicky fluttering clenched her stomach and stole her breath. Was there some further ceremony, some _intimate_ ritual she was expected to perform? In front of an audience? She swallowed thickly, fear clogging her throat.

"Yes – no," she stuttered. "That is, could we go to the garden? Before… " she swallowed nervously but was unable to finish her sentence. _Before we go to bed_.

Zuko raised his unblemished eyebrow questioningly, but agreed. The sages began to protest this change from tradition but he cut them off firmly, sending a warning glance to Shyu. With a calm nod goodnight to her still-giggling friends, he led Katara back to the palace and through the hallways to the garden.

The walk did nothing to calm Katara's nerves. The extra time simply allowed her imagination to spin out increasing embarrassing scenarios that might be waiting for her. By the time they arrived in the garden her hands were trembling and her breathing erratic. She ripped a fire lily out of a planter and began shredding the petals nervously.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Zuko demanded, leaning over her in concern. "Did something happen? Did someone upset you?"

"It's just so sudden!" she gasped. "I haven't had time to think. I don't know if I can do this."

"You're already wishing you hadn't married me?"

Katara looked up into Zuko's face and instantly cursed herself for her thoughtlessness. He seemed unsurprised, even resigned, as if he had been expecting her to regret marrying him all along. She grabbed his robes, startling him. "Zuko, let's get one thing straight. I chose to marry you. I'm proud to be your wife."

The tension in his face eased slightly. "Then what's the problem?"

Katara sighed. "It's just – tonight? What are we supposed to do? I mean, do we have to…" she waved her hands in front of her, unable to finish her sentence.

Zuko's head reared back in surprise. "Didn't Shyu talk to you? We discussed tonight, he was supposed to tell you what to expect. Don't worry, Katara. I promise I'll make it as quick and painless as possible."

"Excuse me?" Katara's voice rose tightly.

Zuko shook his head. "Our marriage – it'll be over quick. We'll find another solution and get an annulment, before your sixteenth birthday. You're still underage, so there's no need to, uh-" he coughed uncomfortably, "consummate the marriage right now."

Katara sagged with relief. "I didn't know we could do that. We're so lucky Shyu has been here to advise us."

Zuko frowned. "Well, it wasn't really his idea. He wanted us to go ahead and, um, make everything official right away. But I told him it wasn't fair to you. You've already had to make enough sacrifices for me. I wanted to be sure you still had a way out."

"I'm not looking for a 'way out', Zuko. I'm committed to peace, and to our marriage. It's just, everything's been so rushed."

"It's all right, I understand. A few weeks ago, you were repulsed by me, and now-"

"I was never repulsed by you!" she interrupted. There he went again, convinced that he wasn't worthy of love. And she wasn't really helping things by rejecting him on their wedding night. As much as she wanted to avoid this embarrassing conversation, she couldn't leave him feeling unwanted. "I was angry that you had hurt Aang in Ba Sing Se, but I was also angry that you'd rejected me."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Rejected you? What do you mean?"

"When I offered you the spirit water, it was more than just a way to heal you. It was an offer of truce. I'd always found you fascinating, even when I was afraid of you. You were my opposite in so many ways, but when I realized you'd been hurt by the Fire Nation too, I thought maybe we could find a way to be friends after all. When you chose to help Azula instead of me, it felt like you had thrown my offer of friendship back in my face."

To her surprise, he chuckled. "How could anyone have that many thoughts in such a short time? Are all girls that complicated?"

She threw the mangled fire lily at his head, but he ducked it easily. "You sound just like my brother! Are all men that obtuse?" she countered.

He held up his hands, smirking. "OK, truce. If you're still offering friendship, I accept."

When she realized he was sincere, she smiled. "That's a good place to start."

"Now you understand why I told Shyu we were going to wait. I didn't want to rush you – either of us – into anything. I'm sorry you got so upset earlier. He was supposed to tell you before the ceremony."

"It's been a busy day, for all of us. I'm sure it just slipped his mind." She took a deep breath of the moist garden air, trying to dispel the last of her tension. "So, should we go back to the sages in the plaza?"

Zuko shuddered. "I've had all the ceremony I can take for one night. I have a better idea." He gave her a playful half-smile and reached for her hand. "Let's take the back stairs instead."

She giggled as they raced across the garden, across a patio and down a hall she hadn't explored yet. It lacked the shining marble and expensive draperies that graced the main sections of the palace. Zuko led her to a bamboo door that opened to a wooden staircase. "Servants' entrance," he explained. "This is the back way to the Royal Chambers. Shyu said he was going to have our things moved there."

They climbed three flights of stairs, surprising only one maid during their trip. Zuko pushed open a dark wooden door and Katara gasped at the opulence of the chamber. They had entered near the bathroom, a sunken oval cavity of black marble with red veins that ran throughout like splatters of blood. Beyond that was what might have been an office, but the black lacquer chairs and desk were decorated with such elaborate jade and mother of pearl inlay, she didn't see how anyone could possibly use them for something as mundane as paperwork.

She crossed the room and climbed a half flight of stairs into the bedchamber. The huge, heavy bed was even gaudier than she'd feared. A massive gold-plated dragon's head hung over the pillows, mouth open in a snarl, eyes glowing with twin rubies larger than her fist.

"There is _no way_ I'm sleeping in that thing. I mean, it's big enough to fit Appa! It's ridiculous," Katara snorted.

Zuko laughed. "And you thought my room was bad. I've always hated the Royal Chambers. I haven't even been in here since right after my father became Fire Lord and had the place redecorated."

Katara noted suspiciously that there were candles flickering romantically all around the room, and red flower petals scattered across the dark wooden floor. "Are you absolutely sure Shyu understood your instructions about tonight?"

Zuko walked through the room, frowning. "Somebody really went overboard with the ambiance." With a sharp wave of his hand, he extinguished all but a few candles.

Katara wandered over to the windows where a large pile of wedding presents sat, still wrapped. Her attention was quickly diverted to a low table piled with plates of food from the wedding buffet. "Look, Zuko, someone saved us some food. I don't know about you, but I barely got to eat a bite of anything at the reception with all the talking and everything." She knelt down and reached for the rice cakes and bright red roe, but froze when she heard voices out in the hallway.

Zuko was at her side in a few quick steps. "The sages!" he whispered, gathering up a jug of sake and some bowls of food in efficient movements. "Back door!"

They dashed across the room, Zuko pausing only to extinguish the remaining candles. Racing through the servants' entrance and back down the steps, Katara turned toward the garden when he grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. "I know somewhere they won't find us. Follow me."

They turned a corner and soon came to an older section of the palace that looked out over the garden. Up one flight of stairs and down a hall, Zuko opened a door and ushered her inside. He cupped his hand and brought forth a small flame, illuminating the room.

"What is this place?" Katara asked.

"The nursery," Zuko explained. "The only room in this cursed place that actually holds happy memories for me." With sure aim, he directed small arcs of fire to lanterns scattered around the room. Their gentle glow revealed a suite that was slightly cluttered, somewhat shabby, and more comfortable than anything Katara had seen so far in the palace.

While he spread out their dinner on a chunky table, she walked through the room, noting oversized pillows piled up on the floor and low shelves stacked with toys. Two small beds occupied opposite corners of the room. While nothing was actually dusty – the palace servants were too well-trained to allow dust to gather anywhere, even here – the air was stale and the room clearly hadn't been used in years. She pulled open the shutters overlooking the garden to circulate some air, and noticed another door set against the wall. She opened it and peeked inside, trying to make out its contents in the low light.

"This was my mother's room." Katara started in surprise when Zuko spoke directly behind her. "I haven't been in here since she left," he said, reaching past her to push the door open wide and then walk inside. He set the lantern he was carrying down on a table and paced through the room, absently reaching his hand out to touch various objects. "She defied tradition by refusing to stay in the Royal Chambers. This room was designed for a nursemaid, but instead my mother insisted on staying here so she could be close by."

It couldn't have been more different from Ozai's lavish chambers. A simple hand-stitched quilt covered the modest bed, with embroidered pillows piled in a jumbled heap. Bookcases and a comfortable-looking chair lined the walls. A large wardrobe stood in the corner, one door slightly ajar.

Zuko turned to look at her. "Now I know why I recognized that dress. When I first saw you tonight, I thought it looked familiar. That was my mother's wedding gown. She's wearing it in the official wedding portrait."

"I guess it was the only thing Shyu could come up with on such short notice. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trespass."

"Don't apologize, you look beautiful. I think she would have been happy to see you wear it."

"You said she left?" Katara prompted gently. "Did she die?"

"My father banished her." His voice was low and tight, carefully controlled.

Katara gasped in surprise. "What happened?"

"I was only ten, I didn't understand much of it at the time. I think she saved my life."

"But if she's banished – she could still be alive somewhere!" Katara crossed the room to grasp his arms. "You can find her, Zuko!"

He shook his head. "Six years is a long time. She could be anywhere. She could be dead."

"If there's one thing you're good at, it's finding people," she said firmly. "And the other nations will help you!" She used her grip on his arms to shake him. "If there was a chance my mother was alive somewhere, I would do anything to find her!"

Zuko nodded. "I know you would, Katara. Don't worry, I'm going to visit my father in prison tomorrow and find out what he knows."

"You could send out notices with her picture, offer a reward," she suggested.

"No reward. That would bring the bounty hunters and mercenaries crawling out from under every rock. I learned that the hard way," he acknowledged.

"Good old Sparky-Sparky Boom Man. Too bad he couldn't be here."

Zuko shook his head, turning to lead her back into the main room of the nursery. "You know that wasn't his name."

"Whatever." She thought for a moment as they sat down on the soft pillows that surrounded the table. "How about offering amnesty to everyone Ozai banished? It seems like most of them were only guilty of disagreeing with him."

He nodded slowly. "That might work. When word spreads that I've become the new Fire Lord, surely she would come back. Wouldn't she?"

Katara hated to hear the vulnerability in his voice. "Of course. Zuko, she'll be so proud when she finds out what you've done to bring peace to the world."

"She always was more tolerant of the other nations than my father," he said thoughtfully. "She had an Earth Kingdom servant who came to the palace with her when she got married. She even used to tell me Earth Kingdom stories at night. I only recently learned that she was actually the granddaughter of Avatar Roku."

"What? You're descended from an Avatar? Wow, we've got to tell Aang about that."

"Oh, I can hear Aang now: 'I sensed there was something good inside you, it was your Avatar side trying to come out,'" he said in a high-pitched voice.

Katara giggled. "Stick to being Fire Lord, Zuko. Your impressions stink." She gestured to the toys scattered around the room. "So, what was your favorite game when you were little?"

"Hide and explode, obviously. Except Azula always cheated."

They continued talking comfortably as they shared the leftovers from their wedding banquet, exchanging stories of their very different childhoods. Katara realized that she felt more relaxed that she had all day – in several days, actually. Zuko was surprisingly funny, cracking jokes – in his dry, understated way, but still. It was progress. She was probably the first real friend Zuko had ever had, and it was good to see him begin to loosen up and let down his guard. Soon her eyelids grew heavy and the stress of the day caught up with her. She stretched out on the oversized pillows around the table and felt her eyes close. A gentle hand smoothed her hair back from her forehead, but she was too tired to do more than mumble in response.

Katara was just drifting off to sleep when a violent explosion rocked the palace, sending a shower of dust and debris through the open windows of the nursery. She jolted awake to find Zuko already leaping across the room to look outside.

"What is it? What happened?" She impatiently kicked at the skirts of the wedding gown as she struggled to her feet and followed Zuko to the windows. She gasped when she saw the roiling orange flames on the other side of the palace, spewing choking clouds of black smoke to obscure the stars. "Is it some kind of accident?"

Zuko's face was grim, his voice bleak. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"What do you mean?"

The wild flames cast frightening shadows across his face as he gestured to the source of the fire. "Those are the Royal Chambers, Katara. It can't be an accident. Someone tried to kill us."


	8. Chapter 8: Repercussions

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. Thanks for sticking with me! I really appreciate all the encouraging reviews and favs. This chapter's a bit slow but things heat up in chapter nine.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Eight: Repercussions**

"That's it, Zuko! Put those reports away, you have to sleep sometime!" Katara snatched the scrolls off his desk, holding them behind her back. "You've read through the statements a hundred times, and always come to the same conclusion. There's no way to tell who set the fire."

"I can't just give up, Katara. The assassins could strike again at any time!" Zuko slammed his fist down on the desk in frustration. "There's got to be something I'm missing, some way to figure out who was responsible."

It was driving him crazy, not knowing who had tried to kill them. The investigators had been thorough, interviewing every wedding guest, every member of the palace staff, local merchants, the harbor master, anyone who might have seen suspicious people or explosives moved into the city. But the palace had been packed full of foreigners attending their wedding that night, and the guard was still in disarray after the sudden change of power. The list of people who might have wanted to put a premature end to his reign was almost limitless, from the supporters of Azula and Ozai to the Fire Nation generals to members of the other nations who couldn't forgive their former enemies. The sages themselves preferred someone else for the throne.

"Maybe we should start with a list of people who don't want to kill us. That would be shorter," Katara joked. "Like Sokka, Toph, Aang…"

"Are you sure? Aang had a pretty big crush on you. He couldn't have been too happy about our wedding."

Katara gasped. "Zuko, what's gotten into you? How can you even suggest Aang would do something like that? Besides, you're in no position to complain about jealous exes! From what I've heard, Mai's been bad-mouthing me to all the nobles who will listen."

Zuko sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Katara. You're right. That was out of line."

She laid the scrolls back on the desk and stood beside his chair, resting one hand on his shoulder. "It's been two weeks, and you're no closer to an answer. You spend all day in meetings, and all night reading these reports. You can't keep this up."

He reached up to take her hand. "I'm not the only one working all day, you know. How are your plans for the healing centers coming?"

She smiled and leaned against the table, facing him. "Wonderful! Within six months I should have the first round of healers trained, and then they'll go to the rural towns and train local villagers in basic medical care. By then most of the construction on the new centers will be completed."

"And hundreds of our veterans returning from war will have good jobs building something for their communities," Zuko reminded her. "It's those kinds of projects that make all the work worthwhile."

"Well, you're not going to be any good to anyone if you don't take care of yourself. When was the last time you practiced your bending?"

He had to think for a moment. "Ember Island."

Katara grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "That decides it. We're going to go practice. Right now."

"It's the middle of the night! I thought you wanted me to sleep!" he complained as she dragged him toward the door.

"You have to clear your mind first. Come on, Sparky. Show me the palace training grounds."

He shook his head but followed her to the door of the nursery. Since the wing of the palace containing the wreckage of the Royal Chambers was under reconstruction, they'd decided to move into the nursery until the work was done. They'd never been able to recreate the quiet intimacy of their wedding night, however. There were several rotations of guards patrolling at all hours now, and privacy was a thing of the past. While he chafed at the intrusion, he would put up with any inconvenience to help keep Katara safe.

Behind the main section of the palace were older buildings carved out of the volcanic rock that ringed the city. They crossed a carved stone bridge stretching over a small creek that circled the older section. Passing the palace temple, they entered the dojo. He bowed in the direction of the shrine and sent four small firebolts to light the lanterns that hung symbolically at each corner, representing the four directions as well as the four nations. Zuko took a deep breath and felt a sense of calm fill him. He had spent so much time here when he was growing up, often several hours a day training, and in the familiar surroundings he could already feel some of his tension drain away. He was glad Katara had insisted they come.

"Why is everything made of stone?" Katara asked, wandering idly around the dojo.

"It has to be fireproof," Zuko explained. "When firebenders are first learning to control their power, they make a lot of mistakes. The stone prevents the flames from spreading to the rest of the palace."

Katara smirked. "Mistakes, huh? So, what's the worst mistake you made while training?"

Zuko gestured through the open door, to an old cherry tree growing near the creek. Half of it hung heavy with summer fruit, while the other half was blackened and twisted. "I was about eight when I blasted that tree by accident. My bending master made me do three days of hotsquats as punishment."

"It looks like it was hit by lightning."

He shook his head. "No, I was learning fireballs. I can't bend lightning."

"But weren't you teaching Aang how to bend lightning at Ember Island?"

"_Redirect_ lightning. Not create it. Uncle Iroh said I won't be able to create lightning until I can 'calm the turmoil inside myself.' He told me he actually learned to redirect lightning from watching waterbenders." Zuko removed his silk nightrobe, preferring to train in simple black pants. He began to work through the basic forms and let the familiar routine settle his thoughts. Calm was one thing he sorely needed. Just as he was beginning to relax into the pure physicality of his training, a welcome voice interrupted him.

"Very good, nephew! Or, should I say, Fire Lord."

Zuko smiled and opened his eyes to see his Uncle enter the dojo, only to stagger, laughing, as Katara wrapped him in an eager hug. "Iroh! We were just talking about you!"

Zuko quickly crossed to the doorway to hug his Uncle as well. "Thank you for coming. I know you had a lot to do in Ba Sing Se, but I really need your help."

Iroh nodded. "The Order of the White Lotus has made investigating the attempt on your lives our top priority. However, we have no real leads yet. Just suspicions."

"You can go through all the witness statements, maybe you'll see something I missed," Zuko said eagerly, clapping his uncle on the shoulder and heading out of the dojo.

"Stop right there! I said no more reports tonight, and I meant it!" Katara blocked his way, hands on her hips. He was getting better at recognizing her expressions, and the frown currently on her face was definitely of the don't-mess-with-me variety. "We came all the way out here, and you're going to practice your bending whether you like it or not. The scrolls will wait until morning."

Iroh laughed. "You'd better listen to your wife if you know what's good for you."

Zuko considered complaining, but riling Katara up when she was in this kind of mood was usually more trouble than it was worth. Besides, she had a point. He needed to focus his thoughts, and there was nothing better than bending practice to help him shed the day's distractions. Ignoring their chuckles, he returned to the center of the dojo and resumed his basic kata.

They chatted quietly on the edge of the dojo but he let the murmur of their voices fade into the background, centering himself in the sound of his own breathing and the burn and stretch of his muscles. He welcomed the rise of the fire within him, quickening his pulse, racing through his blood, and finally bursting from his fingertips. As he moved, he began to recite the basic mantra in his head,

"_I rise with the sun, I feel its power. What the dragons knew, let me understand. Grant me energy, fill me with your life."_

He had said the words countless times when he was growing up. All students had learned the same firebending mantra for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. But he had never really understood it, not as he did now. Fire wasn't about destruction, it was about pure energy. The power of life. Finally he was free of his father's destruction, free of his obsession with the Avatar, and free of his own ignorance. The mantra's simple truth echoed powerfully within him. He was finally able to tap into his true source of power, and he was ready to use it for the only thing that really mattered. To live.


	9. Chapter 9: Stubborn

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Nine: Stubborn**

"Congratulations, Katara! My nephew is a very lucky man," Iroh said, sitting down next to her on one of the benches that lined the side of the dojo. He spoke quietly so he wouldn't disturb Zuko. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to the wedding."

"You were pretty busy, you know, liberating the Earth Kingdom." Katara laughed. "I think that gives you a good excuse."

"I'm glad I could come now. It's good to see you looking out for Zuko. He's so stubborn, he doesn't always take care of himself."

"Stubborn is right. It's pretty hard to get him to change his mind. About anything."

Iroh raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Is there something in particular you want him to change his mind about?"

Katara blushed and looked away. Her gaze caught on Zuko moving fluidly through his firebending stances in the center of the room. He wore only black trousers, and a fine sheen of sweat was beginning to gather on his muscular chest and arms. A few weeks ago she would have treated him like her brother or Aang, ignoring his partial state of undress. But now they were married, and she deliberately allowed her gaze to trace the strong curve of his shoulders, the fine veins that stood out on his arms, and the clearly defined muscles of his abdomen. She felt an unfamiliar excitement kindle inside her and purposely stoked it, letting her mind imagine walking over to him to touch his sweat-slick back, reaching up to kiss his lips. Although she had balked at lying with him the night of their wedding, she'd had a few weeks of living together to consider the idea. As she watched the power and force of his movements, her breath quickened at the thought of other ways he could put that power to good use.

"Katara? What's on your mind?"

Katara jumped guiltily and dragged her gaze away from Zuko. Although she was embarrassed to even consider asking for advice on this topic, it occurred to her that Iroh might be the only person in the world who could really help her understand Zuko. She took a deep breath and looked up at Iroh, determined to get some answers. "Zuko says he wants to annul our marriage."

Iroh leaned back in surprise. "You mean you haven't, uh…..I mean, it's been two weeks!"

She shook her head. "He's been so consumed with work and the investigation, I've barely spent any time alone with him. Even in our new quarters in the nursery, he insisted that I take his mother's suite for myself. Every night he stays out in the main room, often falling asleep at his desk in front of a mound of paperwork."

"Katara, no man's too busy to bed his wife. Not if he wants to. What else is going on?"

"He keeps saying I shouldn't have to make this sacrifice. No matter how many times I say I want to be married to him, he doesn't seem to believe me."

Iroh nodded. "I'm not surprised. After his mother left, there was no one else in the palace to protect him from his father and sister. He was ignored, at best. Ridiculed, at worst. He doesn't know how to accept a kind word or a gentle touch, let alone how to return one. He's probably convinced himself to end your marriage because he can't really imagine anyone wanting him."

"Do you think I can change his mind?" Katara asked.

He smiled kindly. "Only Zuko can change himself. But you are a healer, and you know that wounds to the heart are even more crippling than wounds to the flesh. He has many years' worth of damage to overcome. If you want to help him, you will have to be brave, and patient. But if anyone can get through to him, you can." He squeezed her hand encouragingly. "You can start right now. Go over to him. Try to get him to see you as a woman, as a wife." Iroh stood and bowed to her, then quietly left the dojo.

Katara regarded her husband thoughtfully as she planned her approach. Kind words. Gentle touches. Patience. Let him see her as a woman. She wasn't exactly sure how to accomplish all of that at once, so she decided to start with something she already knew: bending.

"Zuko, can I practice with you?" she called out, walking toward him in the center of the room.

He paused in the middle of a stance and returned to a relaxed standing position. "Sure, what do you want to try?"

"Well, I was thinking that if Iroh learned how to redirect lightning from watching waterbending, maybe I could learn something new from firebending?"

"I guess we could try that," Zuko mused, scratching his chin. "What do you want to learn?"

Katara considered for a moment. "How about fireballs? Or, in my case, I guess they'd be waterballs." She began to untie her robe to prepare for bending practice, when she realized that she had a prime opportunity to begin to change his view of her. After all, she had just been admiring the lines of his body while he was absorbed in his bending practice. Perhaps she could entice him to notice her as well?

She began to move more slowly, untying her silk robe and letting it slide gently down her body to pool at her feet. Beneath that she still wore a simple set of tunic and trousers over her breast bindings and underwear. She took a breath for courage and then slowly pulled the tunic over her head, dropping it to the ground. Her new bindings were made of white silk, and were tighter and more transparent than her grungy old set from the Water Tribe. She looked up to see that Zuko was watching her with a frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding somewhat irritated.

She shrugged, aware that the movement of her shoulders caused her bindings to stretch more tightly. "I don't want to get all my clothes wet. I always train like this. Does it bother you?" She dropped her hands to the waistband of her trousers, untying them leisurely as Zuko's gaze seemed glued to her fingers. When she finally dropped them to the ground he quickly swallowed and looked away.

"Of course it doesn't bother me," he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, sinking down into a basic horse stance. "The key to fireballs is keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground, to counteract the force of the flame." He demonstrated, quickly launching four fireballs from his right fist toward a stone target on the other wall.

Katara kicked her clothes out of the way and then reached out her hands, pulling water from the nearby creek to her command. She copied his stance but when she tried to hit the same target, she naturally fell back to a flowing movement that created a water whip.

"Form a fist, keep your elbow locked," Zuko instructed, coming behind her to guide her arm into a straight extension.

Katara tried again, but this time the water simply fell to the ground halfway to the target, splashing both of them. "Sorry! It just doesn't feel natural. It's so much more aggressive than waterbending," she complained.

Zuko moved in front of her, holding his hand out flat. "Practice punching with your fist. Try to hit my hand as hard as you can."

Even Katara had to admit that her first punch was pretty sad. Zuko smirked and grabbed her fist, tapping on her thumb. "Keep your thumb on the outside, or it'll break. Now, harder this time!" Katara kept punching, grunting with the effort, but Zuko's hand barely seemed to move. While she considered herself his equal in terms of their bending, she was reminded that he had also trained extensively in martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, and sword fighting. It irritated her to realize that, if it weren't for her bending, she wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight.

He must have noticed her disgruntled expression, because he grinned. "Now take that aggression and try it again!" he challenged, stepping out of the way as she quickly called the water to her. Punching into the air, this time she formed the water into a ball that blasted across the room and crashed into the target with a satisfying splash.

"I did it!" she squealed, jumping up and laughing. She grabbed Zuko and pulled him into a hug, but when she felt the heat of his body against her water-chilled skin, her excitement quickly took on a different tenor. _Gentle touches_, _kind words_, she reminded herself. "Thank you, Zuko, you're a good teacher," she said softly, rising on her tiptoes so she could whisper into his ear. Rather than let go, she reached around his shoulders, pulling herself flush against him. He held back stiffly for a moment, but then with a shudder his hands encircled her, digging into the tender flesh on her back. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into the exquisite feeling of being surrounded by his warmth, the hardness of his flesh contrasting with her own softness, yin and yang enfolding each other. She slid her lips from his ear along his cheek, parting them gently in anticipation of another kiss like the one they shared during their wedding ceremony.

Abruptly he released her and stepped back, breathing roughly. "It's late. We have to go." He bent to retrieve his robe and then stalked over to the doorway, calling over his shoulder, "I'll wait for you outside."

Katara glared at his retreating back. Damn his stubborn hide. That man just would not take a hint. She began pulling on her clothes, grumbling under her breath. He wasn't the only one who could be stubborn. She knew what she wanted, and he wasn't going to be able to avoid her that easily. She left the dojo and emerged into the cool night air, sending a quick prayer up to the half moon that floated lazily in the sky. There was only one thing she could do, Katara realized. She was going to have to seduce her husband.


	10. Chapter 10: Spirits

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Ten: Spirits**

Zuko was seriously beginning to suspect that Katara had been possessed by malicious spirits.

He strode down the hall from the war room toward the dining room. He would see Katara at lunch and was slightly nervous to see what antics she would pull today. In the week since they had practiced their bending together, her behavior had become increasingly bizarre. First, she had taken to lounging around their quarters in the nursery in a series of new silken night robes that seemed to get shorter or tighter every day. At night while he was working through the mounds of paperwork that the bureaucracy created, she insisted on sitting right next to him, often leaning against his shoulder or resting a hand on his thigh as she read through the reports for her own projects. It wasn't that he minded, exactly. It was kind of nice, the way she seemed content to curl against him like a cat-lizard. But it was distracting, and he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

When she first offered to massage his shoulders one night, he'd accepted gratefully. The constant worry and stress had taken its toll, and the tension had his muscles tied up in knots. At first her touch had been firm and efficient, relaxing his stiff muscles easily. But as the nights progressed, her hands began to stray from his shoulders, reaching under his robe to leisurely stroke down the muscles of his arms, or to the small of his back, or massage his scalp. She often brushed against him as she moved, and while he couldn't say for sure that it was on purpose, those gentle touches shot through his body like lightning. Where Mai had been almost skeletally thin, Katara's generous curves tempted him nearly beyond his control. It had gotten to the point that she had only to smile at him a certain way and his gut tightened with the sharp tug of desire.

He entered the dining room and sat at the lunch table, a buffet of dishes spread out in front of him. Katara hadn't arrived yet, she had probably been detained in a meeting. He leaned forward on his elbows and stared broodingly at her empty plate.

Was she doing this on purpose? He knew she had never truly dated anyone, and it was possible she didn't understand the effect she had on him. He was glad she was comfortable in his presence and he didn't want to make her self-conscious. But his self-control was not infinite. He had promised to release her from their marriage by her sixteenth birthday, but at this rate, that was a promise he would struggle to keep.

"Zuko, there's a problem with one of the healing centers." The source of his consternation burst through the dining room doors, waving a scroll in her fist. "I just got this report that says rebels have sabotaged the construction site in Jang Hui."

He nodded. "I just ordered some troops to the area to root out the rebels."

She paused across the table from him and put her hands on her hips. "No, I want to go there myself."

He sighed in exasperation. "Katara, you can't just impulsively take on a band of rebels by yourself. That's what the army is for. I know you feel it's personal because it's one of your centers – "

"It's not just that," Katara protested. "I've been to this village before. You know the abandoned factory that we're converting into a hospital?" He nodded. "Well, I'm the one who destroyed it in the first place."

Why was he surprised? "When did you find the time to destroy a Fire Nation metal factory?"

"Before the Day of Black Sun. The factory had polluted the river, and all the people in Jang Hui were sick and starving. Aang and I wrecked the factory and cleaned the river."

"Let me guess. You had a run-in with the troops posted in that area."

She shrugged. "We made pretty short work of them. Why?"

He sighed. "Because most of the rebels are former Fire Nation soldiers assigned to that area. They deserted their posts when my father was defeated."

Katara sank down at the table, frowning. "So it's us they're rebelling against. Or me."

He nodded. "Now you understand why it's not safe for you to go."

She leaned forward eagerly. "No! That makes it even more important that we go in person."

"We?"

"Yes, we. It's not enough to have the rebels captured or imprisoned. We have to make them understand why peace is so important."

He tried to keep his temper under control, but frustration lent an edge to his voice. "Katara, these could be the same people who tried to assassinate us! They're not going to surrender just because you ask them nicely. This isn't some ideal world where you can change people's minds with a flowery speech about hope."

The disappointment in her face cut through him. "You may not believe in hope, Zuko. But for a year it was all I had. And it was enough to change the world." She rose to her feet and stalked out of the room, leaving her lunch untouched.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face. One thing was certain – life with Katara was never boring.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Evening fell more quickly now that fall had arrived, and there was a distinct chill in the late afternoon air. Zuko finished his bending practice with a few stretches to keep his muscles from tightening up, then grabbed his robe to head back to the palace. As he exited the dojo, the sight of a guard running toward him filled him with dread. News that urgent was never good.

"Your Majesty!" The guard was gasping for breath as he stopped and bowed in front of Zuko. "A war balloon is missing."

Zuko frowned. Why was he being bothered with this? It was a problem, but not really the kind of emergency that required his immediate notification. "Do you know who took it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. This was left behind." The guard held out his hand, displaying a crushed fire lily.

Panic jolted through him. "_Katara_." What was it he told her at lunch? No one was going to believe her flowery speeches? He should have known she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. But still, this was impulsive, even for her. Impulsive, headstrong, dangerous…_damn her_. "Get another balloon prepped right away," he ordered the guard. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

As the guard ran downhill toward the docks, Zuko sprinted to his quarters. He penned a quick note to Iroh explaining the situation and asking him to keep an eye on things until he got back. He only hesitated a moment before opening a heavy wooden trunk and digging to the bottom to uncover his double broadswords and black uniform. Beneath them lay a blue mask with white tusks and teeth stretched in an eerie grin. Zuko pulled it out and turned it over in his hands. He wasn't sure why he had bought the mask in the first place, he never really thought he'd need to wear it again. But he didn't know exactly what he'd be facing when he got to Jang Hui. Although Katara had several hours' head start, she wasn't experienced at navigating a war balloon and would be forced to use coal to operate it. His firebending gave him a distinct advantage, and he felt sure he could catch up to her, assuming she didn't get lost along the way. He couldn't tell what worried him more, that she might crash into the ocean, or that she might actually arrive at Jang Hui and get to the rebels before he could stop her. Something told him that, by the end of the night, the Blue Spirit would live again.


	11. Chapter 11: Disguises

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the kind reviews! You have really encouraged me to work hard and get this next chapter out. Enjoy!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Eleven: Disguises**

Katara crept quietly through the forest. The sun had set an hour ago, and through the veil of her disguise she could see the flickering firelight of the rebel camp across the lake. From this angle, her approach would be perfect. A little fog and one visit from the Painted Lady should send the rebels running home. Perhaps then the people of Jang Hui would finally be able to live in peace.

She gathered the loose robes of her costume around her and calmed her thoughts, pulling the water vapor hanging over the air on the lake into the clumps and clouds that would soon coalesce into fog. Turning her face to the full moon, she extended her arms to control the mist, only to feel the sudden snap of rope around her wrists.

"Hey!" She pulled against the ropes but that only tightened them painfully. She looked around frantically and was barely able to make out dark figures behind the trees before a sharp jerk on the ropes forced her arms to spread wide. The ropes were quickly tied off, leaving her completely vulnerable.

"Alert the Captain that we've captured an intruder," barked a gruff voice. Footsteps rustled in the darkness until finally a shape stepped into the moonlight. It was a woman dressed in a simple tunic and trousers covered with padded armor and a helmet. She held a long spear with a blade that glinted wickedly in the silver light. "So, what do we have here?"

"I am the Painted Lady, water spirit of Jang Hui. Release me at once or face my wrath!" Katara was afraid that her attempt to bluff her way out of the situation was belied by the tremble in her voice.

"Some of the other soldiers told me about a run-in they'd had with a water spirit a few months ago. She got them all spooked and they ran off. Where's your magic now, water spirit?"

Katara strained against the ropes, but as long she couldn't move her hands, she couldn't waterbend. She couldn't even bloodbend, despite the power of the full moon. The last time she faced off against these soldiers, she'd had help from Aang and Sokka and Toph. Why hadn't she remembered that _before_ she had charged in here? "Let me go!"

"You don't sound like much of a spirit to me," the woman said drily. "You don't look like one, either." She reached out with the blade of her weapon, snagging Katara's veil and lifting it. "What you look like is a scared little girl."

Katara squared her shoulders and met the cynical gaze head on. "I've come to ask you to put down your weapons, and surrender peacefully." She heard chuckles from the soldiers still hanging back in the shadows, but the woman in charge narrowed her eyes at the challenge.

"Surrender? To you and what army?" she sneered.

"The Fire Lord's army!"

"You mean the traitor brat and his barbarian wife? They've brought nothing but shame to the Fire Nation!" She lowered the tip of her spear to Katara's chest. Suddenly a rustle in the leaves caught her attention. "Shing! Wei! Where are you?" There was no response. A thud and the snap of a twig from the other side of the clearing echoed in the silence. "Who's there?" she demanded, a thread of panic lacing through her voice.

The only answer was the flash of a blade across Katara's shoulder, forcing the spear back to crash into the woman's helmet. A dark figure slipped past, lashing out with swift kicks that quickly rendered her unconscious.

Katara's breath caught as the shadowed form turned. At first she thought she was facing another spirit when she saw the white tusks and wide grin gleaming in the moonlight. He stalked toward her, twin blades extended, and she began to struggle futilely against the ropes that bound her. She felt an elemental jolt of fear as he approached, not stopping until he was so close that she could feel the heat coming off his body in waves.

"Who are you?" Katara asked, but he merely tilted his head to the side, regarding her silently.

Suddenly his double broadswords plunged down, slicing cleanly through her restraints. She cradled her wrists in front of her chest and looked on with amazement as he brought the blades together over his shoulder and sheathed them in a smooth, practiced movement. The confident flow of muscle sparked a memory in her, and she realized that she knew the figure in front of her. His height, his size, even the smell of his body had become as familiar to her as her own over the past few weeks. He reached out and grabbed her wrists, pulling her against him. "I'll save you from the soldiers," he growled.

"Zuko," she breathed, pulling out of his grasp to reach up to take off his mask. He held still, permitting her touch, but the face she revealed was tight with fury.

He snatched the mask from her hands. "What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

Despite her near brush with disaster, the urge to defend herself was strong. "I told you, I had to try to make them understand why peace is so important!"

"And _I_ told _you_ that speeches wouldn't change anything. But instead of discussing it with me, you just went off on your own." The look of betrayal in his eyes took her breath away. "You left me."

Spirits help her, what had she done? She had promised to stay by Zuko's side, but at their first disagreement, she had abandoned him without explanation. _Just like his mother_.

Tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh, Zuko, I'm so sorry!" She wrapped her arms around his waist but he held back, stiff with anger. "I acted without thinking. Please forgive me." His hands grabbed her shoulders as if to push her away, but she buried her face in his chest.

"Katara, what if something had happened to you? Don't you realize how important you are to me?" he said hoarsely.

"I would never leave you, Zuko. I promise," she whispered.

He shuddered, and his clenched hands slid up to cradle her jaw. Suddenly he leaned down and kissed her roughly, his fingers digging into her hair as if to keep her from pulling away. But she had no intention of pulling back, not when she had wanted his kiss ever since the first time she tasted him on their wedding night. She opened her mouth for him and he pressed forward, taking everything she had to give and then demanding more. His desire crashed over her like a wave, and she clung to him and fought for breath even as she struggled to get closer still.

Katara reveled in his fierce touch as one of his hands slid down to the small of her back, fisting in her delicate gown and pulling her roughly to him. The hard cradle of his body sent bolts of pleasure streaking through her, and she moaned with the pure joy of it.

As suddenly as the storm had begun, it ended. He broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers as they both tried to calm their racing blood. "I'm sorry," he gasped, his eyes closed. "I didn't want to hurt you, I just couldn't help it."

Katara grabbed his chin, startling him into meeting her gaze. "Do NOT apologize for kissing me. Ever." He laughed softly, but she poked him in the chest to emphasize her point. "I can take anything you can dish out, Zuko. I'm a tough girl, remember?"

He smiled. "How could I forget? You rise with the moon," he said, glancing up at the swollen moon hanging low over the lake.

"It seems like an awful shame, you know. A master waterbender letting a full moon go to waste."

He sighed and shook his head. "You still want to bring in the rebels, don't you?"

"On one condition," Katara said, reaching down to grasp his hands. "I need your help, Zuko. I can't do this alone."

Her heart leapt when she saw the confident smirk on Zuko's face. "Let's do this. Together."


	12. Chapter 12: Honor

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

**Author's Note:** This took forever to write because I had a hard time thinking of an awesome fight scene twist. I'm not very good at big action scenes and long speeches, and this scene had to have both! If ya'll have any other ideas about how this scene could have turned out, please let me know in your review. I will happily consider rewriting!

**P.S.** I agree that "Fire Lord Katara" sounds odd. I would have preferred to call her "Fire Lady" however Azula was referred to as "Fire Lord" and I wanted to be consistent with the show. I assume the title "Fire Lord" denotes authority rather than gender.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twelve: Honor**

Zuko used to think that he was impulsive, but after being around Katara he was beginning to feel like the soul of patience by comparison. As he finished securely tying up the soldiers who had captured her, she suggested a host of increasingly risky approaches to the rebel camp, most of which centered around her talking them into surrendering.

"They won't listen, Katara," he insisted. "You heard the woman – we're 'the traitor and the barbarian' to them."

"That's why it's so important that we show them they're wrong," she countered back. "How many people across the Fire Nation feel the same way? Just tying them up isn't going to change their hearts and minds."

He sighed in exasperation. "It'll keep them from killing us!"

"I can freeze them in place, make them listen."

"Not the firebenders. And we don't know how many there are."

She put her hands on her hips. "All right, then, what do you propose we do?"

He smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Zuko's blood raced as he and Katara sped through the forest shadows. He had missed this. After months of pampered palace life, he had almost forgotten how much he loved the thrill of the hunt. Only now he had a waterbender fighting by his side, rather than being part of his prey.

The sentries were easy to find, their armor glinting in the moonlight. He quickly disabled them before they could warn the camp, then Katara crept toward the lake. Roughly twenty rebels were scattered around a clearing on the water's edge, sleeping obliviously. The water lapped gently against the shore and he watched with a growing sense of anticipation as the waves grew stronger and stronger. Katara was swaying and moving her arms back and forth with a gracefulness that looked more like dancing than fighting. When the water reached the first rebel, he sat up with a cry to rouse the others. But by then it was far too late. Zuko watched in awe as Katara masterfully guided the water throughout the camp, sweeping everyone into a massive wave and pulling them, screaming, into the murky water of the lake.

Zuko ran to Katara's side as she raised her arms to create a bubble of air large enough to encompass them and all of the rebels. Water rushed in to cover the top of the circle of air as it sank to the bottom of the lake, depositing their prisoners on the muddy rocks, dripping and gasping for breath. Zuko raised his hand and brought a single flame to life. He steadily met the hostile and frightened gazes around him, sending a quick prayer to the Spirits that Katara had been right about the power of mere words.

"I am Fire Lord Zuko. This is Fire Lord Katara." He identified three or four soldiers that wore the distinctive metal armbands of firebenders and directed a warning to them. "If you try to harm her, this entire lake will come crashing down on your heads. She is the only thing standing between you and instant death."

"Some of you have seen me before," Katara said. Zuko was surprised to hear her speak. He'd thought the effort of holding back the weight of the water would have required all of her concentration. But under a full moon, he wasn't sure there were _any_ limits to her power. "I came to you dressed at the Painted Lady. I destroyed your factory, and protected the people of Jang Hui from your vengeance."

Zuko saw some of the frightened soldiers exchange glances, and heard their murmurs of surprise. Yes, some of them clearly remembered her.

"I am not an enemy of the Fire Nation. There is no reason to take up arms against me. I have tried to help your people live in peace!"

A female soldier spoke up in challenge. "There is no honor in peace! Only in victory!"

"You're wrong!" Zuko stepped forward, raising his voice. "I used to believe that the Fire Nation had the right to spread its glory to the rest of the world. But then I traveled to the other nations and saw the way we had abused their people. We weren't spreading glory, we were spreading terror. There is no honor in that."

"Most of you have families who love you. Go home to them," Katara cried. "Help them rebuild. If you will stop fighting against your own people, we'll let you go in peace."

Zuko nearly rolled his eyes. They hadn't agreed to waive the charges against the rebels, but it was too late to point that out now. Katara had already begun raising the circle of air, manipulating a wave to push them all out of the water and into the clearing again.

Now that they were back on solid ground without the threat of drowning hanging over their heads, Zuko was alert against any attack from the rebels. He wrapped an arm around Katara's shoulders to keep her close, and addressed the camp. "In the morning, a troop of Fire Nation soldiers will be here. If you fight them, you will be captured and sent to Boiling Rock. But if you lay down your weapons, I will instruct them to let you return to your homes with your honor intact."

He carefully turned Katara around and walked with her out of the clearing. All his nerve endings were alive with the danger of turning his back to his enemies. However they got safely to the cover of the trees without anyone moving against them, and he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps Katara had been right, after all, to trust in the power of peace.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

They decided to spend the rest of the night in the village, and the people of Jang Hui were overjoyed to see Katara again. They greeted her with cheers and hugs, and one particularly brazen old man named Bushi even took her hat, although she just laughed. Zuko gathered from some of their comments that her generosity as the Painted Lady had won her their undying loyalty. He felt a pang of guilt over his activities as the Blue Spirit, when most of his nocturnal adventures had been purely for his own selfish gain. He must have been frowning, because the villagers kept their distance from him. That is, until Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him forward.

"Everyone, listen! My husband and I would like to thank you all for your kindness. After tonight, the rebels will plague you no longer!"

This time, the cheers seemed to include him as well.

They were shown to a simple guest room in the home of a fish merchant. A small futon had been set out with a plain quilt, and a copper brazier provided warmth and heated a pot of tea. Sliding doors opened onto a large balcony, letting the cool evening breeze in to freshen the room. Katara knelt by a bucket of water and began to wash the strange red paint off her face with a rag. Zuko sank down tiredly onto the futon and pulled off his shoes, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She had been magnificent tonight, full of power and passion. He was reminded again how lucky he was to have her by his side.

Katara suddenly looked at him over her shoulder, almost as if she'd heard his thoughts. She walked over to him and held out the moist towel. "I can't reach my back, Zuko. Will you help me get this paint off?"

He took the rag and nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but suddenly became tongue tied as she unhooked the large white shell that held the voluminous brown robe of her costume around her. It dropped to the floor, revealing a tight red silk shirt that left very little to his imagination. The shirt only came down to the tops of her thighs, and he found it impossible to pull his gaze away from the sight of her long, smooth legs just a hand's breadth away.

She knelt at his side and turned slightly so he could reach her shoulders. Using both hands, she gathered her unruly brown hair into a pile on top of her head and held it there. Zuko raised the towel to begin to wash the paint away, and cursed silently when he realized his hand was shaking. He could face down a camp of armed rebels without breaking a sweat, but the sight of his wife's gleaming copper skin was making him tremble like a cadet facing his first battle.

He steeled his nerves and tried to run the towel down her shoulders with quick, businesslike strokes. He would not notice how soft the nape of her neck felt beneath his calloused fingers. He would ignore the delicate floral scent that rose from her damp skin. And he certainly would not keep stroking her shoulders long after the last of the paint had been wiped away.

Katara turned toward him, finally stilling his hand. The urge to kiss her swelled again, just like it had earlier. In the forest his fear and adrenaline had overpowered his will, letting him give in to the desire to kiss her that had been building for weeks. The kiss had been everything he'd dreamed – fierce, searing, and haunting – but he feared that if he succumbed to temptation again, he might not be able to stop this time. As she leaned into his body, lips parted, cheeks flushed, he somehow found the strength to move away, sliding back across the futon.

"Zuko! What are you doing?" Katara grabbed his leg before he could move any farther away, rolling onto her hands and knees and following him across the mattress. Her face was thunderous as she advanced on him like an avenging spirit, and he held up his hands to keep her back.

"Please, Katara, I made a promise."

"What promise?"

"I gave you my word that you would have a choice, to annul our marriage by your birthday," he reminded her.

She scowled. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not interested in annulling anything!"

"But what if you change your mind? I have to keep my word," he argued. "It's a matter of honor."

"What is it with you and your honor? Why are you so obsessed with that?"

He shook his head. "You said that, for years, all you had was hope. Well, all I had was my honor."

Katara stood up, her body shaking with tension as she looked down at him. "When are you going to figure it out, Zuko? There's something a lot more important than honor." She stalked out of the room onto the balcony and slammed the sliding doors closed behind her.

"Like what?" Zuko asked.

There was no answer.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note:** Yes, I'm teasing you, and Zuko. Poor, poor Zuko. But fear not, I have a plan!


	13. Chapter 13: Truce

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Thirteen: Truce**

Zuko crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow skeptically as he surveyed the four large trunks and innumerable smaller bags sitting by the door to their chambers. "You've got to be kidding me. We're only going to be in Omashu for a week."

Katara threw up her hands. "Don't look at me! I didn't pack any of it!"

He picked up a round box and looked inside. "Does this hat have fruit on it? Seriously, where would you wear this?"

Katara snatched the box out of his hand and tossed it over her shoulder. "My attendants have gone crazy! They think I'm going to change dresses five times a day!"

"You've got to take a firm hand with the servants or they'll run all over you." He held up a quilted silk jacket with a design that looked suspiciously like Appa embroidered on the back. "Is this your way of single-handedly stimulating the economy?"

"I did NOT approve that!" she protested, grabbing the jacket and throwing it next to the hat box.

"Why don't you just tell them to stop making new clothes for you?"

Katara sighed. "The royal seamstress is so excited to finally have someone to dress. I don't think she's been able to make anything pretty since your mother left. She said Azula only wore armor, and apparently you won't let her embellish anything."

"You've got that right." He smirked, examining a pair of shoes with long jeweled flaps on the toes that curled backward like fire lily petals. "How are you supposed to walk in these things?"

"I don't think you can criticize anyone else's shoes, with those pointy things you wear."

"They're traditional!" he protested.

"They're ridiculous. But, so are these." Katara grabbed the sparkly flower shoes and added them to the pile of rejects.

Zuko shook his head. "You need to reign in the seamstress. She doesn't know you at all. You don't need all this decoration. You always look best when you're dressed naturally."

Katara felt her heart give a little flip at the compliment, but she tried not to show it. They had reached a delicate truce since their return from Jang Hui a few weeks ago. She had decided to stop trying to push Zuko into making their relationship more permanent. There was something disheartening about trying to seduce someone who didn't want to be seduced. It made her feel like the moustache-twirling villain in a children's story, plotting how to trick the blushing maiden out of her virtue. Of course Zuko wasn't a maiden. And he didn't really blush. But his honor was important to him, and she decided the only decent thing she could do was respect his wishes. Even if he was being an idiot.

"Hey, can you help me repack this mess?" she asked. Working together, they were able to get down to one trunk, which she thought was still extravagant for a week-long trip considering she spent the previous year carrying all her possessions in a single bag. Still, royalty had its demands, and wearing beautiful gowns really wasn't much of a hardship.

Zuko summoned the servants to carry their luggage to the airship so they could leave first thing in the morning. "Do you think King Bumi's going to start on time tomorrow afternoon?"

Katara shook her head. "The last letter I got from Aang said it was taking him and Toph longer than they expected to finish the repairs in Ba Sing Se."

"I doubt the meetings will begin until Aang gets there. The whole 'United Nations' idea won't work without the Avatar."

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "The Order of the White Lotus found plenty of people who are interested in peace. And it makes sense, to have the leaders from all the Nations come together to agree on certain basic principles."

"Except that it looks like we're ceding authority over the Fire Nation to a foreign group. It just gives the rebels more ammunition against us."

She sighed. "Now you sound paranoid. Don't worry so much, Zuko. It will all work out." She linked her arm in his and they walked to the small nursery table to eat a quick dinner while reviewing the agenda for the upcoming days of meetings. Katara found it hard to concentrate on business when she knew that she'd finally be seeing her friends and family again, for the first time since the wedding. When she went to bed, she just tossed and turned, unable to still her thoughts long enough to relax and drift off to sleep. In the darkness she ran her fingers along the embroidered pattern on one of her pillows, tracing the contrast between the coarse wool cloth and the smooth silk thread until she finally sank into a troubled sleep.

_The blackness swallowed her whole. She seemed to float in the dank air, arms outstretched but touching nothing. Drips of water echoed in the dark, accompanied only by the panicked thumping of her heart. Slowly a sickly green glow flickered to life above her head, reflecting off the damp rock walls that penned her in on either side. The light illuminated a path and she drifted forward, but after an endless series of twists and turns, there was no change in the cold stone that surrounded her. The noise of the dripping water had grown, however, and she could sense as much as hear the flow of a stream from somewhere ahead. Beneath the rush of the water was another sound, one she realized was the crying of a woman._

"_Help me, Zuko! I'm lost!" cried the voice. Katara tried to move faster, but her arms and legs still could find no purchase. Soon the green light grew brighter ahead, reflecting off of something. She drifted forward until she could see a huge round door in front of her. She realized with a gasp that she recognized this door. It wasn't an exit – it was a tomb._

Katara's eyes flew open to find the first light of the morning peeking through the shutters of her bedroom. She looked to her side and saw the embroidered pillow she had been clutching as she fell asleep. Snatching it up, she threw off her blankets and raced into the main part of the nursery, startling Zuko where he sat sleepily on his futon.

"Zuko!" she cried. "I know where your mother is!"


	14. Chapter 14: The Cave of Two Lovers

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Fourteen: The Cave of Two Lovers**

"Katara, it was just a dream," Zuko reasoned calmly.

"No, it was a vision!" she insisted.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been half asleep, already worrying about the packed day ahead of him, when Katara had come bursting into the room spouting some kind of nonsense about caves and his mother. For a moment he'd felt an almost painful surge of hope that she actually had some new information about where his mother might be. But as he realized how far-fetched Katara's theory was, he began to lose patience with her. "You seriously want me to believe that you had a vision revealing her location?"

"How else do you explain this?" Katara waved the embroidered pillow in front of her.

"Explain what? It's a pillow! Look, we have a lot to do today, we don't have time for this—"

She stomped her foot. "Just tell me, Zuko, where did this pillow come from?"

He frowned. "It was my mother's. I think her nurse made it for her when she was young. So?"

"So….didn't you say her nurse was from the Earth Kingdom?"

"What does that—"

"What city in the Earth Kingdom?"

He sighed, hoping this would all be over faster if he just humored her. "Omashu."

"Aha!" Katara crossed her arms as if she had just proven something. When he failed to respond, she stuck the pillow in front of his face. "Haven't you ever actually looked at the design embroidered on this pillow?"

He took the cushion and held it out, examining the interlocking pattern of green and gold threads for a moment. "It looks…like a map?"

Katara smacked her forehead. "Finally! And tell me, boy genius, it's a map of what?"

He did not appreciate her sarcasm. "I don't know, why don't you tell me?"

She leaned forward, pointing to a phrase along the bottom. "'_All you need to do is trust in love_,'" she read. "Don't you know where that's from? It's part of the curse of the Cave of Two Lovers!"

"Whoa, what curse?"

Katara ignored him. "It means this is a map of the Cave of Two Lovers!" she said triumphantly.

"Look, my mother had a romantic streak. She used to tell me the story of Oma and Shu before bed all the time when I was little."

"See, that proves it!" Katara said excitedly.

Zuko stood impatiently and began pacing. "A dream and a pillow—"

"A _vision_ and a _map_!"

"—don't prove anything. You don't seriously believe my mother is hiding out in that cave, do you?"

"Where else could she be? She's not in the Fire Nation. Your father said she probably went to the Earth Kingdom, but she hasn't come back, even though you've been Fire Lord for months. It would make sense, if she's hiding out in the caves and doesn't know that the war has ended. What other explanation is there?"

"She could be dead!" he shouted, whirling around to face Katara. "Don't you think I've asked myself that question a thousand times over? Why would she stay away all these years? Is she so ashamed of me that she'd rather live in hiding than come back to the palace?" He turned his back to her, running his hand roughly over his face. "I don't know what I want more – to find out that at least she's alive, even if she doesn't want to see me again. Or to learn that she's been dead all these years, and that's why she never came to find me."

He felt Katara slide her arms around his waist and press her head against his back. He took a ragged breath, trying to reign in his turbulent emotions. "Your mother loves you, Zuko," she said softly. "If there was any way for her to get back to you, she would."

He thought back to all those quiet evenings when his mother would recount the tale of the two lovers. He always complained that it was a silly story, but still he sat raptly as she described how they first learned to earthbend, and the man's death in battle followed by the woman's violent grief. He remembered again the last time he had seen his mother. He had been asleep in his bed, and she woke him up, saying, _"__Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are__." _Then – he frowned as he struggled to recall the details – she had shoved something into his hands. Something soft…the pillow! The damned pillow Katara had waved in front of his face. Could it really be a map to her hiding place?

"Zuko, we're going to Omashu anyway," Katara said, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's get some earthbenders as guides and just go look in the caves. If we don't find anything, it's no big deal. But, what if she's there? We have to at least try!"

Zuko took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, trying to expel some of his tension. He didn't dare get his hopes up, but Katara was right – they had to try.

"Maybe King Bumi will start the meetings a day late," he said. Katara squealed in response and squeezed him tighter. He turned and smiled. "But there's just one condition – I pack our bags for the trip to the caves. Your packing is hopeless."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The airship ride was uneventful. Omashu was conveniently located on the Western coast of the Earth Kingdom near the Fire Nation, and thanks to a strong tailwind and the ship's powerful engines, they reached the city by noon. King Bumi was a strange old man with an unfortunate abundance of white hair shooting out of his armpits, which Zuko found quite distracting when trying to conduct a rational conversation. Still, luck seemed to be with them. Aang and Toph weren't going to arrive until the next day and so the first day of meetings had been postponed. Finding an earthbending guide was also annoyingly easy.

"Haru!" Katara called out in delight before letting the overly mustachioed young man sweep her into a hug. Seriously, what was it with earthbenders and body hair?

"Katara, my Dad and I were just saying how we hoped we'd get to spend some time with you while you were here for the meetings."

Katara reached out to shake hands with the older man. "Tyro, it's good to see you again."

"You're looking as lovely as ever, young lady."

She gestured toward Zuko. "You both remember my husband, Fire Lord Zuko." The two earthbenders faced him, their expressions ranging between guarded and hostile. They clearly hadn't forgotten the years of occupation by the Fire Nation and were in no particular rush to forgive and forget. "You were at our wedding," Katara reminded them with her usual tact, "you know, right after Ozai was defeated."

The men shuffled their feet and mumbled their greetings with a reluctant bow.

Seemingly oblivious to their tension, she stepped forward eagerly. "Haru, we need some earthbenders to take us into the Cave of Two Lovers. You can help us, can't you?"

"Uh, Katara, that's not exactly a tourist spot," Haru cautioned. "There was a cave-in recently."

"But that wouldn't stop a master earthbender like you, would it?" she teased, tilting her head and smiling sweetly in a manner that made Zuko want to punch the young earthbender.

"Well, no, but it's just that those caves are dangerous-"

Zuko leaned back and watched his wife make short work of Haru's and Tyro's objections. Through a combination of flattery and sheer stubbornness, she soon had them agreeing to take them to the cave that same afternoon after they had dropped their bags off at Bumi's castle. He smirked. It was kind of refreshing to see her manipulate someone other than himself for a change. He almost felt sorry for them.

His first glimpse of the infamous caves was less than impressive. A simple tunnel entrance, with a stone carving above, was the only indication they had reached the caves.

Haru must have noticed his frown. "What's wrong, Fire Lord? Afraid of the dark?"

"No," Zuko replied, ignoring his barb. "But after all the stories I've heard about this place, I was expecting it to be a little grander."

"Yea, there's another entrance. It's got pillars and statues, all that stuff."

"So why aren't we going in there?"

Haru smiled coldly. "Fire Nation blew it up."

Awkward. Should he apologize? It's not like he was the one who blew it up, after all. He was spared from answering when Tyro waved him forward, announcing that it was time to enter the caves. The others paused to pull torches from their packs but Zuko walked forward alone, a small flame in his hand sufficient to light his way. As the sunlight fell further behind him, he resisted the impulse to shudder at the cold darkness. A firebender normally didn't like being buried so far away from the sun's warming rays, but he was confident in the strength of his own internal fire.

Katara caught up to him, her head tilted back as she examined the shadows stretching above them. The ceiling was so high that their meager light didn't reflect off of it.

"What are you looking at?"

She jumped, almost guiltily. "You should see the ceilings when they glow. They're really beautiful."

"Since when do the ceilings glow?" Zuko asked, adjusting the straps on his backpack as they continued walking deeper into the tunnel.

"Oh, you know. Something about the curse," she waved a hand casually. "Long story. Never mind."

"Why do you keep talking about a curse?"

Haru's deep voice cut in. "Because it's real. According to the curse, anyone who enters this labyrinth will get trapped inside forever."

Zuko frowned. "But we've got a map."

"Can't map these caves, boy," Tyro said. "They change all the time. It's part of the curse."

Zuko turned toward Katara. "Did you know about this?"

"Well, kind of. I mean, Sokka tried to map the caves when we were here and he couldn't do it. He said it was like they kept changing."

"How did you get out, then?" Zuko demanded.

Strangely, Katara blushed. "That part doesn't matter. This time around we have earthbenders with us. We won't get trapped."

Zuko heard the crunch of gravel behind him as Haru and Tyro stopped walking. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," Tyro said.

Something in the tone of his voice put Zuko instantly on alert. He turned to look behind them and couldn't see even a trace of sunlight any longer. They were probably a half mile inside the caves now, and the two earthbenders stood between him and the distant entrance. Suddenly they sank into fighting stances and Zuko quickly followed suit, bringing a blaze of fire to his fists.

"What's going on?" Katara cried.

"You made the wrong choice," Haru replied. "You should have gone home, stayed with your own kind. Instead you betrayed your people when you married _him_." He gestured toward Zuko, sneering with distaste. "We'll never forgive the Fire Nation for the pain it inflicted on us."

"It was you!" Zuko shouted. "You were at the wedding. You planted the bomb!"

Tyro had the audacity to laugh. "It was wrapped up in one of your wedding presents. A little gift from the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko weighed his options. The urge to strike out was strong, but they were enclosed in such a small space, and Katara still seemed frozen in shock. He could distract the earthbenders with a barrage of fireballs, but there was no chance that he and Katara could get clear of the tunnel before they struck back.

When Haru interrupted his thoughts, he realized he had waited too long. "You may have survived our first attack, but you won't survive this." Together, father and son reached into the air and brought their arms down, causing the entire roof of the cave to come crashing down upon their heads.

"Run!" Zuko screamed, grabbing Katara's elbow and frantically pulling her deeper into the tunnel. She took the water from her pouch and created an ice shield over their heads to deflect the debris raining down. Zuko lit their way as they continued running until, breathless, he realized the rumbling was slowly grinding to a halt. He pulled Katara to a stop, coughing in the choking dust as he turned around to look down the tunnel. No one was following them. They were alone.

Completely alone.


	15. Chapter 15: Love is Brightest inthe Dark

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from ATLA.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Fifteen: Love is Brightest in the Dark**

Although the worst of the cave-in was over, small rocks continued to rattle into place, prompting them to move deeper into the tunnel. Katara was grateful that Zuko kept the flame in his hand burning bright, but the warm light didn't cheer her. How could Haru have tried to kill them? Was it the years of abuse and imprisonment by the Fire Nation that he couldn't forgive, or was it more personal?

When Zuko had first tried to join the Gang at the Southern Air Temple, she had complained bitterly to Haru. He had joined her in criticizing Aang's decision and detailing all the reasons why Zuko couldn't be trusted. But then Haru and the others had been separated from the Gang, and had no chance to witness all the ways, small and large, Zuko gradually earned their respect. He must have been shocked when he learned she was going to marry the prince of the Fire Nation. But to plot their death? She still couldn't believe it.

"It should be safe to rest here for a while," Zuko said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked around to find piles of rocks, indistinguishable from all the others they had just passed. But she could no longer see the white dust from the cave-in floating in the air, or hear the rumblings of settling rock. She sank wearily onto a boulder and watched while Zuko slipped off his backpack and began sorting through it.

She picked up a canteen of water, desperate to clear the dust out of her throat, but Zuko snatched it out of her hand. "We have to make the water last as long as possible, Katara."

"I don't think you have to worry about getting water," she said, reaching out her hands to waterbend the moisture off the dank rocks lining the cave into a liquid ball. She guided it to her mouth and swallowed it, then frowned. "It tastes like dirt, but it's cold. It's not like it has to last very long. Aang and Toph should be here to rescue us tomorrow."

Zuko leapt to his feet, the flame in his hand flickering wildly with his emotions. "How exactly are they going to rescue us? We didn't tell anyone else we were going to the caves today. The only people who know where we are—"

"Are Haru and Tyro," Katara finished grimly.

"And they're not going to tell anyone! We're going to have to get out on our own." He reached down and pulled the embroidered pillowcase from his backpack. He'd removed all the stuffing so they could carry it easily, and now the cloth hung straight down from his fist. "If this is a map, then maybe it will show us the way out."

Katara stood and peered over his arm. "It looks like there are three ways out," she said, pointing to a trio of openings along the outer ring of the map. "Here's the one closest to Omashu, where we entered."

"The one that's now filled with rubble," Zuko pointed out.

"And on the other side is the way that I entered last time."

"That's also filled with rubble."

Katara elbowed him in the ribs. "Not helpful. Let's focus on the last one. It exits here by this blue line. What do you think that means?"

"You're the waterbender. Don't you recognize a river when you see one?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Look, Sokka was the map guy."

"So we head toward the exit on the other side." Zuko frowned. "What's this big circle we have to pass through in the center?"

"Probably the tomb."

"Tomb?" Zuko looked at Katara in alarm. "Who's buried there?"

"Oma and Shu. Don't worry, it's kind of beautiful. Didn't your mother tell you about it?"

"She told me the bedtime story version, Katara. She talked about their earthbending. She left out the part about the tomb."

"I wonder how much she really knew about it?"

Zuko shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about. Look at the map. All of the tunnels between here and the center of the labyrinth are blocked off."

Katara leaned closer and squinted in the wavering light Zuko held in his left fist. Sure enough, lines had been embroidered across all of the tunnels. "That can't be right. Aang and I were able to get from the tomb to the exit."

"Do you remember what path you took?"

"Well, we weren't using a map. There was this engraving in the tomb, '_Love is brightest in the dark_.' So our torch went out, and all of a sudden there were these glowing gems in ceiling."

"Gems. Glowing. In the ceiling?"

Katara sighed, exasperated. "Just trust me, Zuko. Put out your light and you'll see."

Zuko rolled up the map and shoved it in his backpack, slinging it over his right shoulder. He held out his other hand, his flame flickering gently between them. "All right, Katara. I trust you."

He held her gaze as the fire in his hand began to shrink. His hair was still pulled up into a formal topknot leftover from their meeting with King Bumi earlier, and she was able to see the wavering light reflected in the rich gold of his eyes. His confident smile burned itself into her memory, and she held onto that image as the flame shuddered and died.

The darkness that swallowed them was absolute. As in her dream, she felt the sensation of floating, devoid of any light to signal where the ground ended and the air began. The moment stretched on but nothing changed. She had only the sounds of Zuko's steady breathing and the dripping moisture on the rocks to signal the passage of time. She jumped, startled, when she heard his voice directly in front of her.

"This isn't working," he said impatiently. "Maybe we're not in the right section."

"Well, there's one other thing we could try," Katara ventured slowly. "Just as our torch went out, Aang and I did something else. Maybe that made a difference."

"Okay, let's give it a try. What is it?"

"We kissed." Katara heard Zuko's breathing stop. She was suddenly glad she couldn't see his face. Was he angry? Annoyed?

"Katara, we don't have time for these games," he finally said.

He thought she was making it up? The nerve! "Look, Sparky, I want to get out of here as much as you do. I'm not playing around!"

"You want me to believe that you and Aang kissed?"

"Why is that so hard to believe? Am I so repulsive that he wouldn't want to kiss me?"

"No! That's not what I meant! But he's, like, twelve. It's gross."

"Gross, huh? Thanks a lot!" Katara ignored Zuko as he continued to sputter excuses. She reached out blindly, her hand connecting with the linen folds of his shirt. She grabbed the cloth in her fist and pulled him toward her, planting an angry kiss in the general area of his mouth.

The familiar green light flickered softly to life, illuminating his almost comical expression of shock. Whether he was more surprised at her kiss or the glowing ceiling, she couldn't tell, but within a few seconds the light faded, plunging them back into darkness.

"What just happened?"

"I kissed you, numbskull." Katara used her hand on his shirt to push him away, exasperated.

"Yeah, I got that part. But why did the lights go out so fast?"

"It doesn't make any sense. They glowed really brightly for me and Aang, and stayed on the whole time until we got out of the tunnel. I don't know why they fizzled out for us."

"Are you trying to say that Aang's a better kisser than I am?"

Katara barely resisted the impulse to smack her forehead. Why was everything a competition for men? "NO! That's not what I'm saying! But the inscription says '_LOVE is brightest in the dark_.' Right now I'm not feeling a lot of love, Zuko. Annoyance, yes. Irritation, sure. But love?" she snorted. "I always knew Aang was in love with me. But you? You're too afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?" Zuko shouted.

"Afraid of loving someone!" she shouted back. "Taking the chance that they might break your heart! Or leave you again, like your —" Katara broke off with a cry. She was mad, but she was afraid she was pushing him too far.

Zuko's voice was grim. "Like my mother?"

She heard the sound of gravel crunching beneath his boots. He was moving away from her. She reached her hands out in the darkness, but like in her dream, her fingers touched nothing but empty air.

"I'm sorry, Zuko." She crept forward, trying to listen for the sound of his breathing. "Please don't push me away. All I ever wanted to do was help you."

She came to a halt. She couldn't hear anything, see anything, feel anything. Only the hot tears springing to her eyes, and a vise that seemed to be closing around her heart. If she wanted to help him, why did she keep hurting him? _Love is brightest in the dark_. It was time to put away fear, and pride, and anger. Time to trust, to risk, to surrender.

"Zuko, I love you," she confessed. As soon as she said the words, she knew it was the right thing to do. She felt lighter, and stronger, at the same time. Why had she waited so long? "I've loved you for months. It's why I married you. I didn't care about your throne, I just knew that you needed me. Anything you want, I'll give you. My heart, my body, my soul. All you have to do is ask."

Katara couldn't hear anything but the wild beating of her heart. She wiped at the tears in her eyes and reached out again in the darkness. When her fingers still found nothing but emptiness, she couldn't hold back a small, choked sob. Suddenly a pair of warm hands framed her face gently, stroking her wet cheeks.

"Katara, don't cry." Zuko's thumbs slid along her closed eyelids, down either side of her face near her sensitive ears, and came together on her lower lip. The darkness enhanced every sensation. Without the distraction of sight, her attention focused on the heat of his palms, the rough calluses on his long fingers.

His lips first touched her forehead, trailing soft kisses along her eyebrows and her closed eyes. His warm breath washed over her face, drowning her in the rich scent that came from his primal fire, his essence. When his lips finally slid down to meet hers, he was gentle at first. Not tentative, not cautious, but careful – as if she were something unbearably precious. His arms wrapped around her back and she sank into him, adrift in sensation.

He tilted his head, and just when she was afraid this glorious kiss would be over, he deepened it. Her blood sang as his mouth moved over hers, and even as he increased the pressure, she rose up to meet him until her fists were clenched in his shirt to pull herself closer still. She had never kissed anyone like this, and he was patient with her, showing her how to use her lips to nibble, her tongue to lick, her teeth to bite, to tease and please at the same time. When he finally slipped his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. A hum of approval rose in her throat, and seemed to resonate through the cave itself. There was a flash of light so bright that it shone even through her closed eyelids.

Zuko pulled back and looked up at the ceiling. The gemstones were glowing steadily now, illuminating a path that stretched out as far as she could see. But that was not the only source of light. The very walls of the caves twinkled with bits of crystal and diamond, scattered throughout the stone like fireflies trapped in amber. Katara felt like she was floating through the stars themselves, and reached out to hold Zuko's hand.

"You see? I was right," she said. "Love _**is**_ brightest in the dark."


	16. Chapter 16: Noises

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note:** Oh, yeah. It's time. I think they've waited long enough, don't you? I've moved from a T rating to an M rating for this chapter and the next one. You have been warned!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Sixteen: Noises**

He was trapped in a cave, he reminded himself sternly as he walked down the tunnel. A cursed cave, to be more specific. Buried under tons of rock. Betrayed by friends. Low on food. Probably lost. No hope of rescue.

So why did he feel so happy?

Oh, he knew why. The reason for his happiness was sauntering along at his side sneaking glances at him, quite pleased with herself. But it just didn't make any sense. How could the joy of a simple kiss outweigh all of the danger that surrounded them?

He'd kissed Mai plenty of times and never felt like this, as if electricity was coursing through his body, sparking off his very fingertips, filling him with energy. But then Mai had usually just laid there like a rag doll, limp and quiet, giving no indication whether she liked anything he was doing. Katara was certainly not quiet. In fact he was discovering that she made a wide range of interesting noises, from a hum of approval when he ran his lips over hers, to a sort of purring sound when he nuzzled her neck, and a sharp kind of yelp when he suckled her earlobe. It was rather like making love to a zoo, but he liked it. He really, really liked it.

He couldn't resist looking over at her again, only to find her glancing at him as well. She held his gaze and gave him a slow, confident smile that hit him like a punch to the gut. He stopped in his tracks and she took immediate advantage of his loss of momentum, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Zuko, I think the light is getting a little dim in here."

He glanced up at the ceiling. It was blazing brightly.

"Don't you think we should do something about that?" she suggested.

He smiled. _Why the hell not?_

Zuko began to lean down but she met him halfway, rising impatiently on her tiptoes so their lips could meet a moment sooner. He deepened the kiss and pulled her hard against him, reveling in the low moan she gave in response. Her hands clutched at his shirt, trying to pull it open as she pushed herself into him. Her efforts were somewhat clumsy and he was pretty sure this was new territory for her. She may not have known what she was doing, but in typical Katara fashion, that didn't stop her from wanting to take the lead.

He decided to try to seize back control of the situation, and slid his hands from her waist down to cup her bottom. Again he couldn't help but compare the generous bounty that filled his hands now to Mai's stick-like figure, and he nearly purred himself at the feel of her firm flesh. He squeezed lightly and tilted her hips more fully against him. That elicited a curious little squeal out of her and froze her hands, but just for an instant. After that she redoubled her efforts to get closer to him, lifting one leg to wrap around his hip and practically trying to climb up him like a bear-cat on a scratching post.

He broke off the kiss, tilting his chin back and gasping for breath. "Katara, I think we need to –"

She took immediate advantage of his exposed neck and sank her teeth into the tender flesh along his collarbone, then suckled the bite to soothe it. He shuddered as sensation stabbed through him. Where the hell had she learned how to do that?

"We can't stop here," he choked out, grabbing her belt and physically pulling her back from him. "We have to keep moving. Until we get somewhere safe."

She licked her lips and looked him up and down, and he felt a moment's fear that, if she didn't agree, he actually might not be able to stop her from having her way with him in the middle of the tunnel. Then she smiled, but a wicked gleam in her eye made him swallow nervously.

"You're right, we need to keep walking. But we also have to keep the lights glowing, you know. I'll let you know when I think they're getting a little dark." He watched her turn and stroll down the tunnel, his gaze pulled irresistibly to the confident sway of her hips. He sent up a quick prayer to the Spirits that they were close to the tomb. He wasn't sure how much longer he could continue to resist the temptation she so willingly offered.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Zuko had no idea how long they'd been walking, following the glowing gems on the ceiling through the twists and turns of the tunnels. No doubt they would have arrived much sooner if Katara hadn't insisted on frequent stops to "brighten up" the lights. By the time they got to the tomb his shirt was wide open, his waistband loosened, his hair pulled out of its topknot, and he had a throbbing erection so distracting he could barely stand up straight. Katara wasn't in much better shape, though, he thought smugly as he watched her try to run a hand through her tangled hair, leaning on the rock wall to keep her balance.

"There!" she said breathlessly, pointing up ahead. "See those statues of badger moles? That big hole between them is the door that Appa opened. The tomb should be right on the other side." She raced eagerly through the entrance, Zuko following behind her.

The chamber was massive, the ceiling so high that the glowing green crystals looked almost as distant as stars. Zuko brought a flame to his fist, gradually increasing the intensity until its light reflected back from the walls. They were standing on a high dais, looking down at a circular stone platform that held the two tombs. They began climbing carefully down the long flight of stairs and he peered at the statues recessed into the walls, many of them too difficult to make out in the shadows.

When they reached the bottom he realized that the dais had actually been on top of two immense stone statues of Oma and Shu. The two lovers had been immortalized sitting on their knees, learning toward each other, locked in an eternal kiss. He set down the backpack near what must have been Oma's big toe, craning his neck up to read the inscription carved between them: "Love is brightest in the dark." He smiled. It seems Katara was right about this too.

"The map showed another entrance from this chamber, didn't it?" Katara asked.

He nodded. "Do you remember anything like that?"

"No, but Aang and I stayed by the entrance, so maybe we missed it."

Together they circled the chamber, looking for any passages or openings with or without sparkling crystals. Nothing. Not so much as a crack led out of the tomb.

"I don't understand!" Katara finally exclaimed. "There's got to be a way out of here. Why else would the crystals lead this way?"

Zuko sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. "Who knows? Maybe it was closed off in a cave in. Maybe it's the curse. Maybe the crystals never were leading us out."

"So what do we do now? Go back the way we came, and try some of the other tunnels we passed? That could take forever!"

Zuko could feel the frustration building in him as the flame in his hand rose dangerously. Finally he let out an angry shout, blasting a fireball into the distant ceiling. It sparked against the high stone, releasing a rumbling cloud of pebbles and dust that rained down on their heads.

Katara brushed the fine white powder off her shoulders, frowning at him. "Feel better?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"Let's get the map out again and see –" she cut off suddenly when a strange cry echoed through the caves. A faint breeze came through the entrance they'd used from the tunnels, accompanied by scraping sounds, like knives being sharpened.

A deep sense of dread settled in Zuko's gut. "What is that?"

"Wolf-bats," Katara said grimly.

"I thought those were just part of the legend!" Zuko glanced at the statues lining the walls of the cave with trepidation. Some of the wolf-bat figures were several times taller than he was, with armor and weapons, and pointed teeth as long as his arm. He fervently hoped that whoever carved them had taken a great deal of artistic license.

"They're real. Maybe they felt the vibration from your blast." She faced the entrance and sank into a bending stance on his right side. She opened her waterskin and pulled out a stream of water, guiding it in front of them like a fluid shield.

The sounds swelled and broke like a wave, and suddenly the creatures were flying through the opening in a dark cloud and the time for thinking was over. Zuko began by launching fireballs into the mass, and they screamed angrily even as they split apart. They now advanced on the ground, their long claws scraping eerily against the stone floor as they split into two groups to attack on either side. Once they had approached close enough for him to see clearly, he was somewhat relieved that they were only about the size of large dogs. But their long muzzles were full of pointed teeth and their strange, leathery wings were the stuff of nightmares. Katara quickly sent a stream of water directly ahead and froze it, trapping the paws of some of the wolf-bats in the ice. Zuko sent an arc of flame to his left and heard a satisfying shriek as a few singed animals ran away, the sparks in their fur illuminating the darkness.

Katara had pulled more water from somewhere, probably the damp stones, and sent daggers into the wolf-bats approaching from the right. He moved smoothly into a fire whip, covering their flank and snapping against a ring of the creatures. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadowed form separate from the group and launch itself at him. He quickly used his fire daggers to stab at its neck, but not before its long jaws had locked on his wrist and he felt pain lance through him. Suddenly an arc of water whipped over his shoulder, knocking the creature back. He had no time to thank Katara, however, launching immediately into his next attack.

Working together, they slowly beat back the winged predators. Although he usually fought alone, the two of them fell into a natural rhythm, each one protecting the other's weak points. Fire and ice made a formidable team, and soon the wolf-bats howled their surrender, retreating back through the entrance in a ragged mass. Zuko and Katara paused, breathing heavily, water and flame still flowing around them in a protective ring. When it appeared that the creatures truly had gone, she walked back to the front of the chamber and started up the stairs to the dais.

"I'll seal the entrance off with ice," she explained over her shoulder as she pulled the water out in front of her. "That way they won't be able to get back in, at least not without giving us plenty of warning." She guided the water into a swirling circle and then froze it in place, neatly blocking off any access.

They met back at the statues of Oma and Shu where he had stowed the pack, sinking down tiredly onto the stone floor. He kept a small flame burning in his left palm, using the other hand to pull out some food. Katara unrolled the coarse woolen travel blanket and they prepared a somber sort of picnic. Luckily they had packed a small oil lamp so that he wouldn't have to serve as a human candle the whole time. He leaned forward to light the lamp from the flame in his hand and heard Katara gasp.

"You're bleeding!"

He looked down at his wrist to see blood dripping onto the blanket. It had ached, but he hadn't realized it was bleeding quite so much. "One of them bit me. It's fine," he insisted, quickly lighting the lamp.

Katara snatched his arm and pulled it into her lap, gingerly peeling back the torn, bloodied edges of his sleeve. He shrugged the rest of the way out of his shirt as she gloved her hand with water, the familiar blue glow surrounding his wound. It tingled uncomfortably, like the sensation of pins and needles, before the pain eased and she put the water away. "It shouldn't scar," she said.

He gestured at the fading star shape on his chest. "I'm not worried. You did pretty good with this one."

She smiled, turning toward him and tracing her fingers softly over the scar from his sister's lightning bolt. "Once you told me that you would never be able to bend lightning until you learned to calm the turmoil within yourself. But your father and sister are defeated, you are Fire Lord, and Aang has brought peace to the world." She looked up at him, the lamplight making her blue eyes look as deep and dark as the ocean itself. "Why are you still in turmoil, Zuko?"

Six months ago he would have been enraged at the question, but now he could acknowledge the truth in it, even though he still couldn't answer it. "I don't know."

"Let me help you find peace." Katara's touch changed, and her hands began stroking the muscles of his chest deliberately, slowly reaching down his abdomen and then back up again. "Don't be afraid anymore, Zuko. Let me love you."

The internal fire she had lit earlier, the one he thought had been banked, now leapt back to life. Her touch ignited a response within him, and for once he allowed it to course through his body unchecked. He acknowledged the desire he saw shining in her eyes, the satisfaction she clearly took from stroking him, and the desperate pleasure her touch gave him. She had told him earlier that she would give him anything he wanted – her heart, body, and soul. He was finally ready to let himself want her. To take everything she had to give. To take her.

"Yes," was all he said, but the excitement that lit her eyes echoed through him as well. She raised herself up on her knees, leaning forward to kiss him. He met her lips but then reached around her, his hands moving under her tunic to firmly clasp the backs of her thighs in each palm. He pulled her forcefully onto his lap, his grip sliding down to the backs of her knees to keep them spread wide. What had started as a gasp from Katara ended as a moan when she came into contact with his erection. He leaned forward to suckle her neck and her legs tightened involuntarily around him, nearing wringing an answering moan out of him as well.

His hands slid up to her waist, quickly untying her belt and opening her tunic. He pulled it off her shoulders but then gripped the cloth in his right fist, tangling her arms in the fabric and trapping them behind her. As he expected, Katara began to protest, but then he used his left hand to untie the knot that held her bindings in place, and she froze. He slowly unwound the white silk cloth, his knuckles grazing lightly across her breasts at each pass. By the time he finally got to the end and the bindings fell free at last, her back was arched, her eyes closed. He pulled away for a moment to savor the sight of her, finally bare to his gaze. She was panting, squirming, dark and gleaming and lovely beyond words.

He gently released her arms, pulling her tunic off. Her hands came up to grip the back of his head, and she moaned, "Please, Zuko."

"Please _what_?" he asked teasingly. He doubted she had any idea what she wanted – but her body knew. She leaned back again, giving him complete access to her breasts, and he let her guide his head to where she needed him most. There was no time for tender caresses, they were both too inflamed for that. He captured one breast in his mouth, sucking hard enough to make her scream, bringing his other hand around to tease and torment the other side. He felt like he could spend a whole day just ministering to her exquisite breasts, and vowed right then that he would find a day sometime in the future, when they were no longer in danger, and spend the entire time from sunrise to sunset discovering the ways she liked to be touched. She was like an ocean goddess, and there were so many ways he wanted to worship her, it would take a lifetime to explore all of them.

He placed one hand behind her head and gently leaned her back against the woolen blanket. His hands moved down to the waistband of her trousers and he paused for a moment, wondering if she would balk at this point. "Hurry," she demanded, lifting her hips impatiently, and he smiled. Her boots went flying in one direction, her trousers in the other, and when he gripped her knees and spread them wide, her only response was to reach eagerly toward him. He was determined not to be rushed, however, and no matter how much his little waterbender thought she knew about what was coming, he was determined to surprise her.

He trailed kisses along her knee, down the inside of her thigh, and when she grabbed his shoulders to pull him up, he ignored her. She smelled like the ocean, the delicious scent of musk and salt, and he was hungry. He buried his head between her legs and feasted slowly and thoroughly, enjoying the symphony of sounds she made as he urged her onward until finally she screamed his name, straining desperately against him until her body went slack in his arms.

He pulled himself up to lay beside her, carefully watching her unfocused eyes, eager for her reaction. Would she be grateful? Shy? Adoring? She licked her lips and finally met his gaze. "More," she insisted.

Ah, of course. Bossy. He should have known she would respond to her first time by immediately demanding more. Fortunately, that was an order he was happy to obey, although things were going to be a little bit different this time around.

He raised his body over hers and let a knowing smile curl his lips. "My turn."


	17. Chapter 17: Power and Water

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note: **I'm still at an M rating for this chapter. You have been warned!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Seventeen: Power and Water**

Katara's blood thrummed wildly in her veins as Zuko moved his body over hers, hard muscle sliding over her sensitive skin. He radiated heat like a furnace, and every place he touched her burned as though branded. He had shocked her, doing things to her body she had never even dreamed of, but instead of being sated she felt insatiable. He braced himself above her on his elbows and she reached her hands up to stroke his shoulders, slick with sweat and so much broader than hers. He leaned down to kiss her and she could taste the sharp tang of her own body still lingering in his mouth. His kiss was confident, invasive, pressing her head down into the blanket as he advanced, stroking her deeply with his tongue in a rhythm like the one he had just used so ruthlessly between her legs. Her stomach clenched in response as her desire kindled again. She ran her hands down his chest, across his firm abdomen, and slipped inside the open waistband of his pants to seize his erection.

He cut off the kiss, gasping, "Katara, don't!" but his hips thrust involuntarily into her hand, stroking against her grip. She hid her surprise – she had changed enough diapers in her village to understand basic male anatomy, but Zuko was hard and heavy in her hand, unlike anything she'd ever known. He was laying too close to her body for her to see what she was holding, but using her sense of touch she slid his pants down his hips. Curiously she began to explore the length of him, from the base rigid with pulsing veins to the soft wet tip. He groaned again, "I'm not going to last long if you do that!" and reached down to grab her hands, forcing them over her head and pinning her down.

"You don't need to last, Zuko! I want you!" she cried. He shuddered and released a breath, steam coming out of his mouth as he released her and rose up on his knees. She finally got a good look at him, his erection rearing proudly between her bent legs, red-tipped like a dragon, and she ignored the nervous fluttering in her stomach. He seemed _awfully_ large to fit inside of her, but she had delivered babies and knew that, somehow, it was possible. He positioned himself carefully and began to push forward but, even though Katara reached her arms out to pull him closer, her body resisted the intimate invasion. He hooked his right arm around her knee, spreading her legs wide and holding her in place as he thrust slowly but steadily into her.

Gasping, she grabbed the blanket in her fists, trying to loosen her muscles so that he would not have to force himself through every inch of her. His eyes were shut tight, jaw clenched, arms trembling as he fought for the control to keep his touch gentle. Katara felt her heart swell with the love she had for this man, as kind as he was fierce, still trying to protect her, even now. "Zuko," she called softly, reaching up to stroke his cheeks until he opened his eyes. The gold in his gaze was molten now, and the need she saw called out to her. "I love you," she whispered, finally relaxing her body to welcome him inside. With a surprised cry he slid home in one last thrust, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers. They were panting heavily, their breath mingling, hearts pounding together.

He moved slowly at first as they both learned the steps to this strange new dance. Katara felt the fire building at her core, whether it was from the searing heat of his body or the passion he was stoking within her, she didn't know, but it spread throughout her until it seemed her very fingertips were aflame. She reached down to grasp his buttocks, his muscles clenching under her hands in time with his thrusts. He groaned, pulling her hands back over her head, threading his fingers with hers and using his weight to hold her down. "Don't rush," he growled, but he picked up his pace, no longer moving slowly or gently as his passion began to slip off its tight leash.

Katara may have been pinned down, her body jerking as Zuko slammed into her, yet she had never been more aware of her own power. It was she who had driven him insensible with desire, she who had brought the trembling tension to his muscles and the sheen of sweat to his skin. And if he thought that he could hold her back, he was about to learn a thing or two. You can't stop the ocean with your hands, and he couldn't stop her, either.

She found his rhythm and began tilting her hips, letting him sink harder and deeper into her. She gasped with the force of his thrusts but kept moving until she had him gritting his teeth, steam coming out of his nose as he tilted his head back, the corded muscles in his neck straining. Then she closed her eyes and moved her focus inward, finding her internal muscles and clenching them around him. He grunted as each stroke became harder, tighter, pulling him into her depths as irresistibly as an ocean tide. When the wave peaked and crashed through her, it swept him along, the ripples rocking through her body and draining him until he collapsed on top of her. As her heart thundered and she fought for breath, she reached a hand up to stroke Zuko's damp hair where his head rested heavily on her chest. In the flickering lamplight she could see the statues of Oma and Shu towering above them, the lovers' hands raised as if in benediction. "Thank you," she whispered, then closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Katara was roused some time later by a gentle but insistent tugging sensation. She opened her eyes to find Zuko's dark head nestled between her breasts, lavishing attention on her tender nipples. His large hands were alternately massaging and pulling on her sensitive flesh while his lips moved from one side to the other, kissing, suckling, nipping and biting until she finally cried out. He glanced up at her, a wicked smile curving his mouth. "You rushed me last time, but I promised myself I'd make up for it later. You are so beautiful, Katara."

He leaned his weight on one elbow and his long fingers took over, firmly circling her soft flesh as he watched the effect his touch had on her. "My Uncle kept volumes of poetry in his room on the ship, and I used to borrow one or two to read when the nights were long and lonely. Do you know what the poets used to call this?" he asked, his fingers plucking at one nipple until it stood erect. She could only shift her legs impatiently and shake her head, incapable of responding coherently.

He smiled knowingly and answered his own question. "It's called 'the bud that blossoms.' A fitting name, don't you think?" He bent his head to her again, sucking hard this time, and she cried out, arching her back and cradling his head in her hands. He continued to pleasure her mercilessly as her entire awareness narrowed to focus just on the demanding pull of his mouth and hands. Finally he looked up at her again, breathing hard as he met her stunned gaze.

"The poets had an especially apt name for this," he said, his voice hoarse with desire as his hand slid down her belly and he parted the slick folds between her legs. His clever fingers played and plucked, circled and rubbed, until her vision clouded. "They called it the 'hidden pearl'," he panted, stroking her with reverence until she truly felt like some kind of precious treasure. He leaned over to kiss her tenderly but his fingers were unrelenting, worshipping her tirelessly until she felt like she was going to break into a thousand pieces.

Suddenly he seized her hips and rolled her on top of him. Startled, she braced her arms on his chest, her hair tangling to fall in damp strands against his skin. His erection pressed insistently between her legs and he used his grip to tilt her hips, slipping inside her in a rough thrust that forced her knees momentarily off the ground. She came suddenly, shuddering helplessly with pleasure as he remained hard inside her. Before she could even regain her breath he began to move, a slow undulating rhythm that somehow stroked her in places yet untouched. Even though she was on top of him, she had no power over the movements of her own body. He had driven her past all reason, his calloused thumbs working steadily between her legs, his hips rocking her body even as she rode him for all she was worth. When she came again she screamed with the force of it, mind emptied of any attempt to control him, her pride burned away by the intensity of their passion as the flames forged them together, one being, finally whole.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was a long time before either of them was ready to get dressed. Katara was still a bit dazed, as if her world had tilted slightly off its axis and everything looked the same yet was completely different. She moved carefully, her body aching and still pulsing in places. Even putting on their clothes was distracting, as Katara could barely tear her eyes away from the sight of Zuko's muscles moving smoothly while he tied his pants and slipped his bloody shirt back on. Her bindings were even more of a distraction when Zuko decided to help her put them on, because one thing led to another and eventually she had to slap his hands away or she might never finish getting dressed. Still, it was nice to finally be able to admire his body openly, to share secret smiles and little touches, and let Zuko see the desire in her gaze.

They ate and drank quickly and then Zuko pulled the map from his backpack, extinguishing the lamp to save the oil and cradling a steady flame in his left hand instead. He pointed at the exit they'd been trying to reach, tracing his finger along the blue line.

"If this is a river, it's not just outside the caves," Zuko said.

Katara leaned comfortably against his side, her fingers following behind his. "It winds through the tunnels, and it even comes here, to the corner of the tomb."

Zuko frowned. "We've never come across a river. Maybe I'm wrong, I guess it could stand for something else."

Katara shook her head. "No, in my dream I heard the sound of water running." While he repacked their supplies, she stood up and walked around the edges of the tomb again, hands outstretched as if feeling the water in the air. She paused in the back corner and then cried, "Zuko, come here!"

He snatched up the backpack and followed her quickly, holding up his hand to illuminate the corner. "There's nothing here, Katara. Just more dirt and stone."

She shook her head. "Can't you feel it? Under the ground, it's flowing. I can sense it, just like the blood in a body. I'm going to try to get closer." She strained for a moment, reaching her senses toward the water she could feel coursing just under the earth. She pulled and felt it respond to her call, soaking through dirt, finding cracks in the rock, until the corner of the tomb began to gleam wetly. She pushed and then pulled again, and just as a river can carve through rock over the centuries, the water weakened the stone, opening a passage to the underground river.

The small hole in the corner of the tomb began to fill rapidly with freezing cold water, rising up to soak her ankles. She heard loud cracks echo through the stone and more fractures appeared in the walls. Water was bursting forth now, swirling around them.

"Uh, Katara –"

"I know! Get behind me!" Zuko quickly stood at her back, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist as she held a large bubble of air around them. The water was crashing now, chunks of rock breaking off as it violently flooded the chamber. She pushed again, widening the passage as much as possible. "Hold on!" she cried and then moved them forward, keeping the circle of air firm as she guided them through the hole and down into the darkness, swallowed by the raging underground river.


	18. Chapter 18: Black Glass

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Eighteen: Black Glass**

Zuko watched with awe as Katara struggled fiercely to hold the sphere of air around them while they were buffeted by the intense currents of the underground river. But eventually it was too powerful and they were swallowed by the freezing water, swept violently between the rocks. He kept a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a dull light glowing in his other hand to give them some illumination despite the water, but he knew they would not be able to hold their breaths for very long. Katara guided them through the currents as quickly as possible, avoiding the sharp edges of the stones along the sides of the channel. He could feel the pressure in his ears building as she suddenly curved sharply upward, and with a shocked gasp they finally burst through the surface. Katara manipulated the water to pull them to a shore of dark sand where they collapsed, shivering, on the cold rocks.

Zuko tightened his arms around her, summoning his inner chi to bring warmth to his body. His clothes began to steam dry from the heat as he cradled Katara. She buried her head in his neck, her cold fingers burrowing into his shirt to seek out his skin, clinging to him until she slowly stopped shaking. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold it," she said softly. "It's my fault we almost drowned."

He stroked her back. "No, Katara – you saved us. Your strength amazes me."

"But if I hadn't tried to reach the river, we would still be safe in the tomb."

"Trapped in the tomb, you mean. We needed a way out, and you found it." He extended one arm away from her body, bringing a soft light to his hand, but he could see nothing but darkness surrounding them.

"We're not out yet, Zuko," she sighed. "Just trapped in another part of these damned caves."

He hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. "Don't curse them. I've just had the best day of my life thanks to these caves. I'm growing quite fond of them." He kissed her gently then, opening his mouth only slightly, allowing his breath to mingle with hers and chase the last of the cold from her body.

When she was warm enough he stood, reaching down his free hand to help her to her feet. With an impatient snap of her wrist she waterbended the rest of the moisture from their clothes while he increased the strength of the flame in his hand so they could get their bearings. They were on the edge of what seemed to be a vast underground lake, a dark, narrow shore twisting around the length of it. Stalactites reached down from the cave's high ceiling like twisted fingers, minerals reflecting back his wavering light and water occasionally dripping down to disturb the otherwise placid surface of the lake.

Katara's frustrated sigh echoed loudly. "What now?"

Zuko shrugged. "Look for an exit. And try not to cause another cave in," he teased, prompting her to roll her eyes. He looked out over the lake but couldn't find any sign of a passage out of the cavern. However after a few moments of quiet he thought he could see shapes rising in the water, slow and white, almost ghostlike.

"Fish!" she exclaimed, noticing them too. She quickly pulled one out of the lake in a small sphere of water and brought it close enough for them to examine. "Look at their eyes! There's some kind of white film covering them."

"They must be blind," Zuko murmured. "If they spend their whole lives in the darkness of these caves, they don't need to see."

Suddenly the fish twisted and leapt out of the floating ball of water, flopping down to the sand. Katara bent and nudged it into the water, but then she reached out to pick up something off the ground. "What do you think this is?" she asked, holding the object out to him. It was smooth and dark in her hand. "Some kind of shell, maybe? I've never seen anything like it."

Zuko took the strange item from her, surprised at its weight. It was about the size of his fist, perfectly smooth under his fingers, hard as rock but strangely delicate with loops and curls that reminded him of the petals of a flower. "It's glass," he realized aloud, the object sparking a memory in him. "I saw something like this when I was a kid. There was a band of traveling firebenders who came to the palace for a show. They had trained as artists, learning how to control their firebending to melt sand and turn it into glass. They could make all kinds of strange sculptures. My father hated it," he said bitterly. "He said it was a waste of good firebending and banned them from the palace. But my mother, she loved it," he added quietly.

Zuko felt a desperate sense of hope flutter to life within his chest. Not once during this whole trip through the caves did he seriously believe he would find his mother. But this – who else would do this? How else would a firebender's glass sculpture end up in these caves?

"Look! There's more!" Katara cried, bending over to scoop up another one from the sand. He joined her and they walked through the beach, gathering up the smooth shapes until they had collected too many to carry and were forced to leave them in a jagged pile. Still, as he looked up the beach, there were even more dense shapes sitting in the black sand as far as he could see.

"How long would it take to make all of these?" Katara asked, following his gaze.

"Seven years," he said grimly. "Seven years trapped in these damned caves. Alone."

He hadn't realized his free hand was clenched into a fist until Katara reached out to hold it. "Don't curse the caves, Zuko. You were growing fond of them, remember?" At her teasing he relaxed his fingers with some effort and let Katara fit her smaller hand into his and pull him along. Together they walked across the sand, following the edge of the black lake, like a nightmare version of the beaches at Ember Island.

Suddenly there was a disruption in the water, a series of ripples that approached them gently, an amorphous orange glow in the center. The glow split and formed into shapes, and Zuko watched in amazement as they coalesced into a family of turtle-ducks paddling calmly in the dark water. The images were as clear as a memory brought to life, the mother scolding her young ones and herding them back to land. His gaze followed the figures until they arrived at the shore, a ghostly white hand reaching out to them from the rocks. He brightened the flame in his fist until Katara shrank back from its intensity, but he knew what he would see even before the light reached the far corners of the water. His mother, her skin as pale as the blind fish, called her fiery creations back to her hand and then met his gaze across the lake.

"At last."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note:** When I envisioned Ursa's glasswork, I was thinking of a combination of fulgurite (glass that forms when lightning hits sand) and the amazing glasswork of artist Dale Chihuly. Google him.


	19. Chapter 19: Spirit World

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note:** The series never specifically states whether Ursa is a firebender or not. But since she's the granddaughter of an Avatar, wife of power-hungry Ozai, and mother to a firebending prodigy, I assume she's a powerful firebender herself who was simply too modest to brag about her abilities. She's properly referred to as "Princess" because she was banished before Ozai became Firelord. Also, watch for the shout-out to Gollum!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Nineteen: Spirit World**

Katara gasped when she saw the ghostly figure at the edge of the dark lake, illuminated only by the gentle orange glow of the fiery turtle-ducks.

"At last," Zuko breathed, breaking into a run along the shore, careful not to step on any of the black glass sculptures that lay scattered across the sand. Princess Ursa stood slowly and gracefully, reaching blue-veined arms toward him, but when Zuko reached his mother he hesitated. He seemed to tower over her, his muscular frame dwarfing her slender body. Her royal red robes, the silk scrupulously clean but worn dull and threadbare over the years, hung loosely from her shoulders, the bones of her wrists and neck almost bird-like in their delicacy. Finally he reached out to enfold her in a gentle embrace, cradling her as carefully as he had held her glass moments before, as if she might shatter to pieces in his arms.

"Mother, I'm sorry it took me so long," he said, his voice choked with tears.

Ursa pulled back and smiled up at him. "Zuko, my precious boy. I knew you would never give up until you found me," she said, and Katara felt a jolt of surprise at the sound of her voice. It was raspy from lack of use, but still rich and warm. Not thin or frail, not the voice of a ghost or a wasted shell, but the voice of a strong woman, a mother, a ruler.

Katara approached quietly, not wanting to interrupt the reunion, but somehow Ursa must have sensed her approach. She looked directly at Katara, her eyes pitch black in the shadows of the cave. "You heard my call." It was a statement, not a question.

"I dreamt of you," Katara said, walking forward until she stood next to Zuko.

"Not a dream," Ursa countered, reaching a hand out to stroke Katara's cheek. Another surprise – her hand was warm and strong, not weak or trembling. "A vision. I spoke to you through the Spirit World."

"Mother!" Zuko said in surprise. "How could you travel in the Spirit World?"

She smiled calmly. "I am the granddaughter of an Avatar. I always knew it was possible, but I never had sufficient time to devote to mediation. Until now."

Ursa stepped back but slipped a hand into one of Zuko's, raising her other hand to create a perfect glowing sphere that cast a warm light ahead of them. "Come, children. Sit down and take your rest. We have much to discuss." She guided them to a camp of sorts set back from the beach. Flat stepping stones led up a gentle slope. The edges of the path were lined with geodes that reflected back the flame in Ursa's hand. Expanses of smooth sand bordered the side, raked artfully into concentric circles. Islands of small boulders pulled Katara's gaze to the center of the rock garden, the austere black colors broken only by the white and red flesh of mushrooms that grew asymmetrically among the stones.

With a flick of her wrist Ursa sent the flaming sphere into a stone pit, smooth as marble and free of ash, as there was nothing to burn down here in the caves. Steam emanated from a small iron pot suspended over the pit, and Katara smelled a subtle floral fragrance filling the humid air. "Rose hips?" she asked.

Ursa smiled, indicating with an elegant sweep of her hand that they should sit. "There's hardly any trace of rose left, I've had to reuse them so many times. But I find myself appreciative of even the smallest nuance of flavor."

Katara sat and accepted a cup of weak tea, amazed at the peacefulness of the domestic scene. Zuko also seemed to be struggling with how to address his mother after seven years of hoping and fearing for her welfare, when the reality surely didn't match any of his imaginings. With the innate grace of royalty, Ursa immediately set them both at ease.

"All these years we were separated, Zuko, you were never truly alone. I entered the Spirit World again and again, searching for you. But by the time I finally became proficient at sending my spirit across vast distances, I had great difficulty finding you. It was as if you were moving every night. Were you searching for me?"

Zuko bowed low. "Forgive me mother, but no. I was searching for the Avatar."

"I see, that explains it. I frequently found traces of the Avatar near your spirit. When you finally stopped moving I tried to reach you, somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. You were stuck in a fever dream long enough for me to send you a message. I tried to explain your heritage, your link to the Avatar. Did you hear me?"

Zuko looked at her with amazement. "I had a dream – at least, I thought it was a dream. I saw myself as the Avatar."

"You never told me that!" Katara exclaimed.

He shook his head. "That dream changed me. When I woke, I felt…lighter, somehow. At peace. But right after that, Azula found me in Ba Sing Se and, well-" he paused uncertainly.

"Your sister always was a bad influence. I tried to reach her, too. Right before her coronation, to tell her I still loved her. But I haven't been able to find her spirit since then."

"Mother, I'm sorry, Azula is dead."

"She tried to kill Zuko in an Agni Kai!" Katara said quickly. "It's my fault, I killed her."

"To save my life."

Ursa held up one hand and they fell quiet. "You are not responsible for Azula's actions. She chose her own path long ago. But now I realize," she turned her black gaze to Katara, "we haven't been properly introduced."

Zuko smiled and took Katara's hands in his own. "Mother, I'm honored to present to you my wife, Firelord Katara, a master waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Your Highness, I'm – the honor is mine," Katara stuttered nervously.

Ursa's warm smile set her at ease. "My dear, it is clear you both have a long story to tell me. But the most important thing is that you've made my son very happy. I could sense your closeness in the past few months, whenever I tried to reach him. Somehow, you were able to hear me. You must be sensitive to spirits as well."

Katara shook her head. "I've never visited the Spirit World, but I have been trained as a healer, restoring the flow of chi within the body."

"Your strong chi must be why I was able to make a connection with you. A firebender's chi is the source of fire within her body. If she can harness her chi, she can do many things, from creating her own fire without an outside source, to healing physical injuries, and projecting her spirit."

With a start, Katara realized what was so unusual about Ursa's appearance. Her skin was nearly translucent, but she wasn't pale with sickness. Rather, it was as if her physical form had thinned to allow the luminous glow of her spirit to shine more vibrantly. Katara had never sensed a stronger current of chi in anyone.

"That's amazing," Zuko said. "I've learned to make my own fire using my chi, but that's all. I didn't know it could be used to heal."

"Perhaps I could teach you?" Ursa suggested. "But not today. First, tell me what I've missed all these years. I could catch glimpses of people from the Spirit World, but like a reflection in a turbulent stream, they were impossible to see clearly."

Zuko spoke haltingly at first, clearly not wanting to dwell on his painful loneliness after his mother left, or the events leading up to his banishment. The years spent futilely searching every corner of the world for the Avatar, his failures and frustrations, haunted him. Katara listened, astonished at the depth of emotion he displayed. She edged closer to him, reaching out at times to touch his knee or his shoulder, to offer some degree of comfort. If she had not already loved him, she would have fallen hard at that moment as she saw how truly humble this once spoiled prince had become.

As he approached the point in the story that included their marriage, Katara decided it was time to give mother and son some privacy. She walked back down to the lake to freshen up and gather the packs. The small white fish still moved slowly through the water, easy pickings for a waterbender, so she caught and cleaned three quickly. Returning to the campsite, she prepared a quick fish stew while they finished talking. When they sat down to share the meal, Zuko's eyes were alight with excitement.

"There may be a way out," he explained, pointing to a section of the cavern wall that seemed to swallow the campfire, reflecting no light back to them. "Mother's been working on blasting a passage through the stone."

"It's been slow work. I've had to heat the stone until it melts, then shift the molten rock out of the passage before it cools and hardens. But with Zuko's help, perhaps we can move faster."

Katara nodded. "Great! Let's give it a try."

When they were finished eating the three of them walked to the crack in the cavern wall, Zuko and his mother falling into parallel firebending stances. Katara hung back to see what they were planning so she would know how to help.

Zuko breathed deeply, two fingers on each hand pointing out as he circled his arms. Suddenly Katara felt a change in the air, a crackle of static that made her hair begin to fly around her face. White sparks flickered on the ceiling of the cave and out over the lake, flashing faster and coalescing into white fingers of lightning. Zuko extended one arm and a sharp crack echoed in the chamber, followed by a groan as a huge chunk of wall fractured off to fall to the ground.

He looked at his hands in disbelief, then turned around to look at Katara. "Did you see that? I can't believe it. Finally, I made lightning!" He hugged his mother, a stunned smile stretched across his face.

"Finally, you're at peace," Katara whispered.


	20. Chapter 20: Escape

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note:** SCWLC, you asked to see Zuko riding on a badger mole – here you go!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty: Escape**

The three of them fell into a rhythm, each one using their different strengths in tandem with the others. First Zuko would summon and direct a bolt of lightning into the widening fissure, knocking huge chunks of rock free from the walls. Then his mother would use her incredible control to direct an intense blast of heat to the rubble, holding it steady until the stone melted. Even Katara found a way to help, guiding the molten rock outside of the crevice.

"Hey look, I'm lava-bending!" she laughed, modifying a waterbending move to guide the liquefied stone out of the way. Its orange glow lit up the cavern until she doused it with water from the lake, sending a cloud of steam into the already humid air.

Zuko smiled. They made a good team. He was amazed at how easily and naturally the lightning came to him now. After so many frustrating years of trying and failing to create lightning, it flowed smoothly through him, as if he'd been doing this all his life. Even so, after about a half hour he found himself out of breath and drenched in sweat. They had lit a small fire nearby and another serving of tea was steeping temptingly in his mother's pot. Neither of the women had asked for a break yet, so he was about to suggest it himself when a sudden deep rumble began to shake through the cavern.

"Did we hit something?" he shouted, reaching up to grab his mother's hand and help her climb over the debris, backing away from the huge rift they had created in the wall. Katara scrambled over the stones to join them near the edge of the lake as the walls trembled, sending dust and small pebbles flying through the air.

"Not again!" Katara moaned, lifting a hand to shield her eyes.

"Maybe the third time's the charm?" Zuko suggested drily. This time sounded different, though. The previous cave-ins had been punctuated by random crashes that peaked early but ended quickly. This one was growing louder, and settling into a strange pattern – _scrape, scrape, swish_. _Scrape, scrape, swish_.

Ursa shook her head. "It's not a cave-in. I've heard that sound before - it's badger moles."

"Maybe they'll get us out of here," Katara said, grabbing his arm.

_Or maybe they'll eat us_, Zuko thought, settling into a defensive bending stance just in case.

Moments later the walls inside the fissure began to bulge outward, stone and soil raining down at first, larger boulders falling next. Finally Zuko saw long claws pierce through the earth, white as bone but larger than a man. A black nose bigger than his head appeared next, pushing through until the blind white eyes of the massive badger mole were visible. Suddenly the rain of debris stopped as the soil expanded quickly into a solid tunnel, and a welcome voice rang out.

"Sparky, you picked a strange place for a vacation!"

Toph appeared, riding on the shoulders of the badger mole with Aang seated right behind her. With a sudden gust of air, Aang jumped down and landed right in front of him.

"Need a hand?" the Avatar asked with a cheeky smile.

Zuko crossed his arms, perversely irritated that he had to be rescued by a kid. "We were doing pretty good by ourselves."

Aang shrugged. "Okay, well, we can leave and let you guys get out on your own…"

Katara laughed and swept Aang up in a hug. "Maybe next time. I think we'll go with you now."

Toph jumped off the badger mole, a column of rock rising and falling quickly to lower her down. "Who's the broad?" she asked, jerking her thumb toward his mother.

"Aang, Toph, this is…" he was going to introduce her formally, as Princess Ursa, but suddenly he choked up. Just realizing he was finally able to tell his friends about her filled him with emotion. "This is my mother."

Thankfully Toph's manners took over and she bowed formally. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness," she said. "I am Toph Bei Fong, from Gaoling."

"I am in your debt, Master Earthbender," Ursa replied, then turned toward Aang. "Are you the Avatar?" she asked, reaching out to gently trace the tattoo on his forehead.

"Uh, yes, ma'am," Aang answered, fidgeting slightly as his eyes rolled up to watch her fingers.

Ursa took a step back and bowed low. "Then you are my honorable ancestor. Thank you for guiding my son."

Aang looked confused. "I didn't guide him, he was my teacher. He taught me firebending."

"Yes, but you guided him back to the right path. For that I will always be grateful."

Aang glanced over at Zuko, one eyebrow raised. "Well, then, you're welcome," he said, returning her bow.

Katara slung an arm around Toph's shoulders. "Speaking of grateful, I sure am glad to see you guys. How did you find us?"

Toph smirked. "You were making enough racket to wake every creature on the mountain."

"Yeah, but how did you even know to look for us here?" Zuko asked.

"When we were in Ba Sing Se, we found out about a conspiracy against you," Aang explained. "Iroh and the Order of the White Lotus were already investigating."

"They found out Her Freakness left a few parting gifts behind before leaving the Earth Kingdom," Toph added.

"Her Freakness?" Ursa whispered.

Zuko coughed. "Toph's fond of nicknames. I think she's talking about Azula."

Aang shrugged apologetically. "She had Long Feng brainwash some earthbenders before she returned to the Fire Nation. I think she was planning to use them as spies or assassins or something. She wanted to use someone we trusted, so they could get close enough to either capture me or kill Zuko."

Katara gasped. "Haru and Tyro! You mean she brainwashed them? Like Jet?"

Toph nodded. "When we found out, we high-tailed it out of Ba Sing Se. But when we got to Omashu, you guys were already missing. I could tell right away those two were lying about something. They confessed pretty quick, though." She cracked her knuckles with a smile. "I can be really persuasive."

Aang winced, but then continued with the story. "Bumi was furious when he found out they trapped you in the caves. He locked them up, and we got here as fast as we could."

"You saved us!" Katara swept Toph into a hug but the earthbender just grimaced in response.

"All right, all right, enough sappy stuff. We're burning daylight." Toph stomped her foot and a column of stone shot up underneath Katara, launching her onto the back of the badger mole.

"Hey!" she cried, scrambling to hold onto its fur. "Warn me before you do that!"

Toph ignored her, turning toward Ursa. "Next?"

"Wait!" Zuko cried. "My mother needs time to pack!"

Ursa shook her head. "There is nothing here that I need."

"What about your sculptures?" Zuko asked, gesturing toward the black sand.

She smiled. "They belong here." Ursa fell into a strange firebending stance he had never seen before, kneeling slightly with her hands flat out, and produced a sudden blast of warmth. He couldn't see any fire, but heat waves shimmered around her and she rose slowly, propelled by a pocket of superheated air. She landed gracefully on the badger mole behind Katara and Zuko shook his head. When was he going to stop being surprised by the women in his life?

"Now it's your turn," Toph said, grinning at Zuko.

He held out his hands and then belatedly realized she couldn't see the gesture. "I'll get on by myself, Toph. Just let me grab my backpack." He raced back to Ursa's camp, quickly gathering his pack and a few items, then headed back to the group. Toph and Aang were earthbending together to stabilize the tunnel, and Katara and his mother had settled themselves more or less on the giant rodent's back. He got a running start and, grabbing fistfuls of gritty fur, climbed up the side of the creature to sit behind them. _Just like riding a Komodo dragon_, he thought, wrinkling his nose. _Except for the stench_.

At some unspoken command the badger mole turned and moved back into the tunnel, Toph and Aang following on foot to close the hole behind them. Zuko ducked reflexively, but the creature kept plenty of room between their heads and the top of the tunnel and he finally relaxed enough to sit up. His mother had settled into a lotus position in the front, calmly holding a glowing sphere to project light, although as time dragged on and there was nothing to see except more black earth surrounding them, he almost longed for the oblivion of darkness.

Katara sat in the middle, at first clinging to the animal's fur and looking around nervously. But as the creature fell into a monotonous rhythm her head began to sway tiredly, and Zuko eventually gathered her against him, her back resting against his chest. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled drowsily before closing her eyes and slipping quickly into sleep. Zuko permitted himself the luxury of gazing at her sleeping face, gently brushing a tendril of curly hair off her forehead.

So much had changed in such a short time. Just one day ago he wouldn't have dared touch Katara like this. He had been so careful to keep a distance between them. But his resolve had crumbled along with the lovers' cave, and the desire to trust and love that he'd buried so deeply inside himself had finally emerged.

Love? He smiled, tracing a finger from Katara's fine eyebrows, so quick to furrow in anger, to her generous lips, equally quick to smile. It had snuck up on him, so gradually he wasn't sure when exactly it had begun. Was it when she had defended him to the fire sages? Or driven him crazy with her attempts at seduction? Or did it start further back, during their hunt for her mother's killer, when he finally realized the true mastery of her bending? Perhaps even when he had captured her that first time, holding her necklace up to the delicate lines of her throat, only to have her defy him proudly. He stroked her neck now, watching the steady beat of her pulse through her fine skin, humbled that she would use all her pride and strength to help him. He held her close, kissing her forehead as he glanced up at his mother's figure. If not for Katara, he would have never found Ursa. He wasn't sure what he had ever done to deserve such loyalty, but he did know one thing. He would protect Katara from any threat with everything he had, down to the last beat of his heart. He wouldn't risk letting anyone harm her again. He would do anything to protect her.

Anything.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note:** I wanted you awesome folks who post reviews to know that I read and consider everything you say, and your comments have influenced the development of this story. I was surprised at how many people were upset that Haru and Tyro had gone to the dark side…so I thought up this nice little brainwashing twist for you! Now they will have a path to redemption, although it will be a "rocky" road, har har. Seriously, though, I only had the major events of this story planned in advance and have been making up a lot of the details as I go along. There are just a few chapters left but they will hopefully be packed with more drama and surprises. Keep reading and reviewing – who knows, your comments may alter the ending!


	21. Chapter 21: Discoveries

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note: **I've had quite a few requests for more Zutara action, so here you go – lemons for everyone! You're welcome.

**Rating Warning: **This chapter is M rated. Seriously.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty-One: Discoveries**

Bumi was apologetic when they returned to Omashu, although Katara insisted they didn't blame him for what happened. "You're not responsible for Haru and Tyro's actions," she repeated. "How could you have known they would trap us in the caves?"

"Knew _something_ was up," Bumi grumbled. "Should've figured it out." He punctuated this statement by spitting on the ground, alarmingly close to her feet.

Scrambling for a way to change the subject before he spit on something else, she waved Zuko and his mother forward. "King Bumi, I'd like to introduce you to Her Royal Highness, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation."

One of his bushy white eyebrows raised dramatically, like a caterpillar trying to crawl off his head. "Ursa, is it? An honor, m'dear." Rather than bow, he stepped forward and grabbed her left hand, placing a wet-sounding kiss on the back of her delicate fingers. "Your husband was a jerk," he announced loudly, "but I guess you knew that better than anyone, didn'cha?"

Katara bit her lip to suppress a giggle. Zuko's mother looked shocked, her mouth hanging open, and it was the first time she looked like a normal woman rather than some sort of untouchable sage. Aang and Toph snickered quietly but thankfully didn't say anything to increase Ursa's discomfort.

"Besides," Bumi added with another disturbing waggle of his eyebrows, "single women are always welcome in my palace."

Zuko reached out to snatch his mother's hand back. "Her Highness needs to rest after her ordeal," he growled. "I trust you have suitable quarters?"

"Hmmm, I think there's an empty room next to mine."

Katara grabbed Zuko by the arm to restrain him from possibly starting an international incident. "Zuko would like to spend as much time as possible with his mother after all these years. I'm sure you understand. Perhaps there's a room near ours?"

Bumi waved a guard over and gave instructions, but just as Ursa began to turn to follow her escort, he let his green robe slip open, revealing an amazingly muscular abdomen for a man of his age. "If you need anything, Your Highness, you can summon me anytime, day or night."

Katara couldn't quite read Ursa's expression – the Princess was either restraining a laugh or fighting the urge to vomit. But like a true lady, she simply inclined her head. "I thank you for your generous offer," she choked out, then retreated to her quarters with admirable haste.

Katara could feel the irritation coming off Zuko in waves, and decided to redirect his attention. "King Bumi, I'd like to see Haru and Tyro right away. I may be able to break through Azula's brainwashing. Where are they?"

"Got 'em locked up good n' tight. Used the same metal boxes the Fire Nation tried to keep me in." He snorted. "Couldn't hold me, though."

"If you escaped, don't you think they could too?" Zuko asked, frowning.

"Not unless they can bend with their NOSES!" Bumi pointed at his face and twitched one nostril, causing a piece of Jennomite to levitate next to his head. He promptly bit a chunk off, chewing noisily. "Want some?"

"Uh, I think I'll pass, thanks." Katara said quickly. "Can we go see them now?"

Bumi nodded and led them through the palace to the large, open earthbending arena. They walked across the dirt toward the far edge, where two large metal boxes hung suspended on chains. When they were about halfway there Bumi cursed colorfully, Zuko started running, and Katara strained her eyes to see what had alarmed them. Dark figures lay in the shadows next to the arena wall, and as Katara got closer she realized they were the slumped bodies of the guards. She looked up to find holes ripped in the sides of the empty metal cages.

Zuko slammed the wall with his fist, his frustrated groan erupting into a shout of anger as flames poured out of his mouth. Katara froze in surprise. She didn't think she'd ever seen him this angry. "Someone helped them escape!" he shouted.

Aang rose on a puff of air to inspect the cages. "The metal was pushed out, from the inside."

Zuko whirled around to point at Toph. "Metal-bending!"

Toph shook her head. "Don't look at me! I didn't do anything."

"You taught Haru how to metal-bend. I saw you, at our wedding."

Toph's mouth opened as if to defend herself, but for a moment she was speechless. "I – I forgot about that. I mean, I only gave him a few lessons. It was just for fun! I didn't think he was really going to be able to do it!"

Bumi started chuckling, quite inappropriately in Katara's opinion. "Practice makes perfect!" he shouted, bending over as his laughter got louder.

Katara thought she saw smoke coming out of Zuko's ears. Literally. "It's not funny!" he roared. "Lock down the city, send out your guards, catch them before they get away!"

The elderly king waved a hand dismissively. "Don't get yer panties in a bunch. We'll get 'em." Bumi headed back toward the entrance to the arena, barking orders while Zuko paced impatiently.

"Aang, Toph, let's get Appa," Zuko suggested. "If we fly around the city, we may be able to catch them before they get very far." Aang nodded and blew his bison whistle.

Katara knew Zuko was itching to get out there personally and lead the search, but she didn't want him to go. She wasn't sure why – perhaps it was the vengeful glint in his gaze, or the angry clenching of his fists. She wanted Haru and Tyro captured alive so she could get a chance to break their conditioning, but in this dangerous mood, she wasn't completely sure Zuko would bring them back in one piece.

"Zuko, let Aang and Toph go without you," she pleaded. "You need to check on your mother, make sure she's comfortable."

"She'll be fine. This won't take long." Appa descended with a gentle roar, landing in the center of the arena. Aang and Toph headed toward the bison and Zuko turned to follow.

Katara sighed, then made the one request she knew he wouldn't refuse. "Stay with me, Zuko. If you don't, who will keep me safe while you're gone?"

He froze in his tracks, and she could see the muscles in his back and neck corded with tension. The pull of revenge was strong, but she was counting on the fact that his love for her was stronger. When he turned back to her, the guilt in his face nearly broke her heart. She wanted to take back what she had said, but then he would just go hunting for her friends. Instead she walked to him and let him wrap her in a fierce embrace.

"Of course, Katara," he rasped huskily. "I won't leave you unprotected. I won't give them a chance to hurt you. Never again."

They walked back to their chambers in silence while the palace bustled with activity around them, guards mobilizing to search for the escaped prisoners. Katara's eyes burned with fatigue, her hands trembling slightly with the after effects of all the adrenaline that had kept her going. They hadn't slept during their ordeal in the caves, so they'd both been awake for the past day and a half. Now that the immediate danger was over, she could feel exhaustion setting in quickly. Her steps became heavy, as if she was wading through water, and she knew Zuko had to be tiring as well, even though he wasn't showing it.

As soon as they got to their rooms, she instructed the servants to draw water for a bath. They were both covered with grime from the caves and she wanted to get clean before she passed out. The bathroom that adjoined their chamber was as fine as anything she had seen in the Fire Nation palace, marble tiles lining the walls and floor in a delicate pattern of brown and green. Bumi had engineered a series of stone aqueducts to bring water directly inside the room, so they merely had to turn a knob to begin the flow of water.

"Ingenious," Katara murmured, watching as the servants carried buckets of water from the spout in the wall over to the fireplace to warm.

"Don't waste time heating it," Zuko instructed, waving at the servants to deposit the water directly into the large marble bathtub. "I'll do that myself."

They finished quickly and Katara shooed them away, closing the door after them with a sigh of relief. She and Zuko quickly stripped off their filthy clothes, throwing everything into a pile in the corner of the bathroom. He finished first and climbed into the tub, lowering his fists into the water to generate a soft orange glow. The water began to steam and he groaned with pleasure, stretching out his legs and leaning his neck back against the side of the tub. His eyes were half-closed with exhaustion but he still turned his head, watching her unabashedly as she finished undressing.

Katara didn't feel any embarrassment standing nude before her husband. She moved toward the tub leisurely, lifting her hands to take out her braids. She saw his gaze glide over her bare body, across her full breasts and the planes of her gently rounded stomach, slipping down to the juncture of her thighs as she walked. She trembled, feeling his bold stare as intensely as if it were his hands stroking her.

She perched on the edge of the tub across from him, dipping her toes cautiously in the hot water. He leaned forward, his hands encircling her ankles as he pulled, slowly but surely, spreading her legs wide and drawing her body into the bath. She shivered from the delicious heat – both from the water that relaxed her muscles, and from the potent look Zuko gave her as he guided her onto his lap. His touch was gentle at first, soothing rather than arousing, as each of them enjoyed helping the other wash away the last remnants of their adventure. Despite his restraint, his strong hands moved assuredly over every inch of her, massaging her body from the top of her scalp down to the soles of her feet. Her touch grew more confident as well as she traced soapy fingers along the muscled contours of his arms and shoulders with a thoroughness that was not strictly hygienic.

His body was a study in contrasts, hard and soft, firm and yielding. She leaned forward, the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest as her body swayed lightly in the water, and felt his muscles slack with relaxation even as the hard lines of his collarbones teased her nipples. The soft hair on his legs gently tickled the insides of her thighs, but the hard length of his erection slid insistently between her legs. His hands came together at the base of her spine to tilt her hips closer. He kissed her neck, his lips gentle as his tongue traced a heated path from ear to shoulder. The tender caress would have relaxed her, but the rough stubble on his chin prickled and burned, the pain a thrilling contrast to the pleasure, quickening her arousal.

"Please, Zuko. I want you inside me again," she whispered, bringing her hands up to fist in his hair.

He slid his mouth back up to her ear, eliciting another shudder from her before replying, "It's too soon. I don't want to hurt you."

She clenched her thighs around him in protest, trying to guide his erection into her, but he grabbed her bottom with his hands, holding her in place. He slid his right thumb around, quickly finding the burning focus of her desire and stroking in just the way she needed. His touch was gentle but his rhythm unyielding. Katara stopped fighting and closed her eyes, accepting the pleasure he was so willing to give. The water in the tub began to splash with their movements, then to swirl, then to pulse and throb around them as her passion peaked and crashed. She threw her head back, crying out, and a sudden explosion flooded the room as all the water in the tub vaporized instantly. Droplets flew against the walls and ceiling, steam hung heavy in the air, and as Katara's head dropped heavily onto Zuko's shoulder, she felt rivulets of water sliding across her skin as the water began to condense and rain back down upon them.

Zuko stroked her wet hair, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "I guess I'll never have to wonder whether or not I've satisfied you," he said wryly. "You can't fake a reaction like that."

Katara considered poking him, but that would have required entirely too much effort. Instead she was content to cuddle against him as he lifted her out of the tub and grabbed one of the slightly damp towels off the rack. He carried her to their bed, laying her carefully on the green silk sheets and gently patting her dry before tossing the towel on the floor. Despite his tenderness she could see that he was still rigid with arousal. She held her arms out to him. "Please, Zuko, you need me."

He shook his head stubbornly and lay on his right side, turning her body so that her back was pressed against his chest. "You need more time," he insisted, pulling the coverlet over them and draping his left arm over her waist. "Come on, Katara, you're already half-asleep. Close your eyes."

She grabbed his hand where it nestled against her belly and stroked his knuckles with her thumb. "And leave you tossing and turning all night? Worrying about all the things you can't control? No, Zuko. Let me take your mind off of things." She wriggled her hips, scooting back until she could feel his stiff flesh pressing against her. He hissed and tightened his arm, trying to hold her still, but she flipped onto her back and reached down with her left hand to seize his erection.

"You pleasured me," she whispered, squeezing and stroking while he gritted his teeth. "Let me pleasure you, Zuko." She tightened and twisted her grip, and when he groaned and closed his eyes, she knew she had him.

She kicked back the covers and rose on her knees, one hand still pumping him slowly while she admired the view. His penis seemed to move on its own, twitching and pushing into her hand, damp and sticky and pulsing. His body jerked tautly with each stroke, muscles straining, fists clenched in the delicate linen. She smiled.

He was beautiful. And he was all hers.

She bent over to kiss the soft tip and was rewarded with a milky droplet, salty as sea water. She glanced up to find him watching her, the fiery pleasure in his gaze nearly burning her. She licked her lips and hummed her approval, smiling as he growled in response. She continued to meet his tortured stare as she opened her lips wide, her tongue darting out to taste him lightly just before she took him into her mouth, suckling him as hard and deep as she could. He broke then, his head falling back on the pillow as his neck and back arched involuntarily, thrusting himself even deeper into her.

Just like he had done to her in the bath, she found a rhythm he seemed to like and used it, working her mouth and hands on him ruthlessly. Soon she had him panting, twitching, mumbling incoherently, his fingers locking in her hair to hold her close – as if she would pull away now. Finally he gasped, "It's – I'm – Katara!" as he filled her mouth with his essence, substantial but with a hint of bitterness and a tang of spice, just like the man himself.

She swallowed and continued to suck gently while the tension eased out of him, the pulsing gradually slowing until he grew smaller and softer in her mouth. She released him carefully and slid up his body, pulling the covers up behind her and nestling her head on his shoulder. She tilted her face to look at him, meeting his bemused gaze.

Katara reached up, stroking a finger along Zuko's forehead, down the scarred side of his face to rest on his chest. He returned the gesture, gently pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and running his thumb softly across her lips. "You didn't have to do that, you know," he whispered. "I didn't touch you because I wanted something in return."

Katara smiled. "I'm not keeping score. I love you. I like being able to make you happy."

He turned on his side, facing her, and gathered her against him. Her leg slid between his, their feet intertwined, bellies pressed together. Katara felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, and when Zuko spoke softly in her ear, his words were the last thing she remembered. "I would do anything to make you happy, Katara. Anything."

_Love me_, she thought, just before sleep claimed her.


	22. Chapter 22: Education

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty-Two: Education**

Zuko let himself smile as Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him along the corridor, as eager as a child. "I'm not going to tell you," he teased. "It's a surprise."

"Is it a fountain?" she guessed eagerly. "An ice sculpture?"

His smile stretched wider as she practically dragged him toward their rooms. "All I'm going to say is that I had the architects design something special when they renovated the Royal Chambers. Something fit for a waterbender."

She squealed in excitement and he laughed as he followed her. The past week in Omashu had been without a doubt the happiest week of his life – after that initial incident, of course. No trace of Haru or Tyro had even been found, and while Bumi vowed that the ongoing search for them would "leave no stone unturned" – Zuko still wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic – their escape didn't ruin the rest of the trip for him. The United Nations meetings had been a resounding success, Aang, Sokka and Toph cracking jokes but still somehow getting business done. Every day he had spent time with his mother, getting to know her again both as an adult, and as a fellow ruler. She sat in on many of the negotiations, frequently helping the leaders from rival nations find common ground.

And then there were the nights….

Each night with Katara had been more amazing than the one before. She was endlessly creative and enthusiastic, willing to try anything without a trace of embarrassment. She was so open - he knew without a doubt that his body aroused her, his touch satisfied her. In fact, he suspected everyone in the surrounding rooms knew as well, since Katara had a tendency to cry out when she reached her peak. He noticed some of the guards and other guests blushing or smiling when she entered the room, and he probably should have mentioned it to her. But then she would've just tried to keep quiet, and frankly, he enjoyed the moans and little cries she made too much to silence them. It was amazing the way she gave herself so freely, often insisting that he lay back while she lavished attention on him. He wasn't interested in charity however, and preferred to turn the tables on her. He knew just where to stroke her to make her lose control, and he liked to watch as her eyes glazed over with desire until suddenly she was demanding her own pleasure, taking what she needed from him, and letting him give her everything he had.

They reached the entrance to the Royal Chambers, holding hands as the guards pulled open the doors. Gone were the extravagant gold statues, black wood and blood-red silk that his father had favored. The explosion had wiped the slate clean, and he had overruled all the architects' arguments about tradition to create a room that reflected the future of the Fire Nation, and the character of its rulers. Light bamboo graced the floor, reminiscent of his dojo. He had found that he quite liked browns and greens during his time in the Earth Kingdom, and that was reflected in the calming colors of the walls and curtains. Red and blue were present in striking accents, tapestries, pottery and paintings scattered around the room. But Katara was immediately drawn, as he knew she would be, to the royal bed.

Their new bed was a normal width, rather than the Appa-sized monstrosity that had dominated the room before. A silk quilt covered it with shades of deep indigo and burgundy, but the main color was a rich purple. Like the color of twilight, or plums, or dogwood blossoms in the spring. She ran her fingers over it, smiling. "Blue and red together?" she asked, looking up at him.

He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "They're inseparable now."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "What a wonderful surprise."

"That's not the surprise," he laughed, pulling back. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, pointing her to the double doors on the other side of the room. "Remember what was back there?"

"The office. Oh, and that horrible bathroom with the red-veined marble?"

"Go look now."

She practically skipped across the room, throwing open the doors and then shrieking with delight. The same indigo, burgundy and violet colors from their bed had been used in a tile mosaic in the bathroom, creating a dramatic image of fire lilies at sunset. The bath itself was a model of engineering, water raining down from a spout in the ceiling to fill a huge circular tub, which then overflowed into a tile basin and drained out. Katara stepped slowly into the chamber, gazing all around in wonder. "How did you do this?"

"I took the idea from the bathroom at Bumi's, pumping the water directly into the room through pipes in the ceiling," Zuko explained, running his thumb along the wall to see if the mortar had dried fully. "I made a few modifications, though, and sent the diagrams to the architects while we were still at Omashu, with instructions that they work day and night to finish it before we returned. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Let's try it right now!" Katara reached up to open the ties of her gown and he laughed, waving his hand for her to stop.

"Wait, there's one more surprise!" Zuko walked to a wooden door in the far side of the bathroom and pushed it open, looking over his shoulder to smile at her before entering.

She followed quickly and gasped when she stepped inside. The former office had been converted into an exact replica of the inside of a waterbender's tent. He had requested a long list of supplies from Sokka, and his brother-in-law had definitely come through. Thick furs covered the floor and pelts hung on the walls, accented with traditional Southern Water Tribe hunting gear. The old fireplace had been replaced with a simpler firepit and a small fire already flickered invitingly, casting shadows on the dark walls.

"You won't be able to go back to your tribe very often," Zuko said softly. "That's a sacrifice you made for me. I wanted to make sure that you always felt like you had a bit of your home here."

Katara turned to face him and he saw tears trickling down her cheeks. She placed her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "You _are_ my home now. Where ever I am, as long as I'm with you, I'm happy." She kissed him then, tasting of tears and passion, and he slid his hands down her back to cradle her hips.

She pulled back suddenly, surprising him with a mischievous grin. "This room reminds me of the first time we met. Do you remember?"

He winced. "I'd rather forget that, actually. I'm not exactly proud of raiding your village and terrorizing a bunch of old people. It wasn't one of my finer moments. Weren't you scared?"

"Let's just say you made quite an impression."

He sighed, stroking his hands up and down her back. "This is about a year too late, but please accept my apology. That whole episode must have brought back horrible memories for you."

"Hey," she said, grabbing his chin. "You're not Yon Rha. You wouldn't murder an innocent woman like my mother, even if someone ordered you to. You have too much honor for that."

Her words warmed his heart. Somehow she was always able to see the good in him, even when he couldn't. Even when his actions hurt other people. "Still, how can you even think of what I did without remembering what happened to her?"

She shook her head. "Those memories haunted me for a long time. But you understood. You hunted down Yon Rha with me. Together, we exorcised all those ghosts. I'm free of them now."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, relieved. "Then can we forget what a complete jerk I was?"

She broke away suddenly, walking toward the fire and plucking a white fur off the wall to drape over her shoulder, covering her dress. "You were a jerk, yes. But a hot jerk."

"You did _not_ think I was hot back then," he laughed. "You were afraid of me."

"Afraid? Maybe. Excited? Definitely. Fear can be another sort of passion." She sauntered around to the other side of the fire, her voice a throaty whisper. "The mighty Prince of the Fire Nation, raiding my little village. What does he want from me? Do I dare defy him?" She looked up playfully, a mixture of distress and desire in her eyes.

Zuko's breath quickened at her seductive gaze. Her hands moved beneath the fur and her silken gown slithered down to pool at her feet. He could see her bare shoulder now, her naked thighs, as she walked back toward him.

"He follows me back to my tent. He demands my obedience. Will I be able to satisfy him?"

Her teasing was too much. He stepped forward and she whirled with a shriek, racing back to the other side of the fire. "You'll have to catch me first. I'll never surrender!" she cried.

He grinned wickedly and began to stride toward her, his voice lowering to a husky growl. "I think it's time to teach you some manners. Come here, peasant."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Later, much later, Zuko headed toward the shrine to meet with his mother. His and Katara's new game, Fire Nation Raid, had been thoroughly satisfying. Of course that was followed by another new game, Waterbender's Revenge, which had put both the bathroom, and his stamina, to the test. Add a long nap, and he was nearly an hour late for their afternoon session. It was worth it, though, he thought with a grin. Never underestimate the power of interior decorating to fire a woman's passion.

"What a lovely smile!" Ursa said as he entered the shrine. "I take it you weren't delayed by anything troublesome."

"Oh, she's trouble," he replied. "But the good kind. Please forgive me for making you wait."

"No trouble at all," Ursa laughed, waving him over to sit by her. "You must be wondering why I insisted we use the shrine for your training."

He sat and bowed respectfully. "I'm grateful that you're willing to teach me how to direct chi the way you can. I'll go anywhere you want."

"Manipulating chi is a delicate process. It is more spiritual than physical. You will practice in the shrine at first, until you've developed some control."

"Am I going to be able to heal people, like Katara?"

She shook her head slightly. "Not exactly. Waterbenders can ease blocked chi, and control its flow to various points of the body. But they cannot_ increase_ a person's chi like a Firebender can."

"Increase?"

"Here, give me your hands," she said, reaching forward.

He extended his arms with his palms facing up. She placed her hands lightly on top of his, their fingertips barely brushing each other.

"Now, close your eyes," she instructed. "Breathe slowly and deeply, and try to focus on your inner fire."

He slid into the meditation easily, using the visualization his uncle taught him and imagining that there was a candle burning inside his chest, right behind his heart. The height of the flame represented his chi, and he often practiced sitting still and trying to calm the flame, holding it steady to still the turmoil in his mind.

"Good," Ursa murmured. "You've been practicing. Now, try to focus on the heat, rather than the flame. Feel it course through your body with each beat of your heart. Follow it to your fingertips, where they are touching mine."

He tried to relax and do as she instructed, but of course the harder he tried to relax, the less relaxed he felt. He sighed, frustrated.

"Pretend the heat is a silken thread, running through your body," she suggested. "Imagine yourself following it."

Zuko pictured it in his mind, his veins like crimson thread. He could see it, could trace it, all the way to his hands. Suddenly his fingertips began to heat and the thread seemed to swell and glow. A burst of energy surged through him and he gasped, involuntarily opening his eyes. "What just happened?"

Ursa smiled and lowered her hands back to her lap. "I sent some of my chi to you."

He raised his hand to his chest and felt his heart pounding. He looked around the shrine and was amazed at the clarity of his vision. He could see every drop of color, every mote of dust, with a precision he'd never known before. He reached out a hand and fire leapt from his grasp, vibrant and pulsing with life. It was difficult to restrain the energy, to call back the flame.

"I had no idea this was possible! So you can increase someone else's chi?

"Or decrease it. Give life, or take it away."

His brows furrowed in surprise. "Take away life? You mean we can use this power to kill?"

She nodded somberly. "That's why this knowledge is so secret. There are only a few scrolls in the Dragon Bone Catacombs that make any reference to it. All the others have been destroyed. This power is not only difficult to control, it is dangerously seductive. You can use it to become incredibly powerful, almost invincible. But only by absorbing the chi of other people."

"Absorbing their chi? Wouldn't that –"

"Kill them. Yes, if you take it all. If you add someone else's chi to your own, it can increase your spiritual power and your firebending for a period of time."

Zuko stared at his mother, frozen in horror. How had she come by this knowledge? Who had she killed? He was afraid he knew the answer.

"You are right to look at me in fear. There is a reason why I was suddenly able to access the spirit world so much more easily after my banishment."

He swallowed nervously but forced himself to speak. He had to know the truth. "You killed my grandfather. You took his chi."

Her gaze drifted off to the side as her attention turned inward, remembering. "I could try to justify my actions. Fire Lord Azulon had demanded your death, you know that. I went to his bedchamber that night, determined to protect you by killing him. Even when I laid my hands on his chest, he didn't have the slightest suspicion of my true purpose."

She closed her eyes, her face a mask of shame. "But once I began to pull his chi into myself, something changed. I could feel his life force burning hot and bright, all his power flooding into me until I thought my skin would burst with it. As my spirit swelled, his withered and faded before me until it was finally snuffed out."

Tears slid down her cheeks as she continued. "I should have been horrified at my actions. I should have regretted what I had done." Her eyes opened and she leaned forward, lightning quick, to grab his hand, her fierce gaze pinning him. "I liked it! I wanted more! The temptation to take another life, and another…to fill myself with power until the world bowed before me." She shuddered and sat back, releasing his hand and his gaze, and Zuko felt nauseated. "I had to leave. I had to get away, far away. If Ozai had ever learned that this power existed, he would have been unstoppable."

Zuko cleared his throat carefully before speaking. "So you never told him exactly what you had done?"

"No," she sighed. "And I could never let him find out. So I fled to the caves, buried myself alive, and tried to bury the memories – and the temptation – as well."

"Why tell me now?" He couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. "Why not keep your secret? Are you trying to find forgiveness?"

Her voice sliced like a firewhip. "No, Zuko. I'm trying to warn you. Few firebenders have the power necessary to manipulate chi, even if they knew how to do it. But you have the ability. You have to learn how to control it, how to resist it. You have to find the strength to use it for good. Otherwise the temptation could overpower you. There is good in you, Zuko. I've always told you that. But you must never forget for a moment that evil lurks within you as well. The darkness is always there, just waiting for the right opportunity to seize control."

He couldn't listen to any more of this. Zuko stood angrily and stalked out of the shrine. He buried himself in meetings and paperwork for the rest of the evening, shoving her words to the back of his mind, refusing to talk about or even think about her warning.

He saw the concern in Katara's eyes but wouldn't burden her with this secret. He was insatiable that night, trying to lose himself in her embrace. He pushed her higher and harder until she cried out, and then pushed her farther still. Finally when he had spent the last trace of his frantic energy and they lay panting, sweating, limbs tangled in their new bed, he stared up at the moonlit ceiling and allowed himself to face the truth.

He was afraid.

Afraid of the power he held. Afraid that he wouldn't be strong enough to restrain it. Afraid that he'd hurt the people he loved. If he lost control, would Katara forgive him? Would she still love him? He would do anything to keep her safe, fight any battle, defeat any opponent.

But how could he protect her if the greatest danger she faced was within him?


	23. Chapter 23: Heartbeat

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty-Three: Heartbeat**

Katara let out a jaw-popping yawn and rolled to her side. She had just laid down for a quick nap after lunch but now, judging by the low angle of the sun through the bedroom windows, it was at least mid-afternoon. She waved a hand through the sunlight where it stretched across her bed, her fingers warming as she watched the dust motes float through the air. She idly considered getting up – there were a million things she needed to do, as always – but instead she stretched her toes and let another small yawn escape as she curled up like a cat-lizard.

The last two months since their return from Omashu had been exhausting, in more ways than one. They'd made stunning progress politically, stabilizing the economy and instituting major reforms in every area of the government, from the military to education and everything in between. Princess Ursa had been the force that broke through the logjams holding back their progress. She was beloved by all the citizens of the Fire Nation, uniting the former supporters of Azula and Ozai together with those who now backed Zuko and the Avatar. She even had the Fire Sages wrapped around her little finger, and Katara would have laughed at their obsequiousness except for the fact that it conveniently meant they had stopped complaining about the notion of Zuko as Fire Lord. In addition, most of the rebels had taken Zuko up on his offer of amnesty and surrendered peacefully. Trade with the other nations was relatively smooth, and her healing centers would open this week. It had been an immensely productive time, but as busy as she had been, she couldn't in all fairness blame work for her fatigue.

Zuko had taken to married life with an enthusiasm that was, well, exhausting. He was so easily aroused, it didn't matter what time of day it was, she never knew when he was going to turn to her with _that_ look in his eye. It was no surprise at bedtime, or in the morning as they woke slowly, wrapped in each other's limbs. But she'd been quite startled the first time he'd knocked the final course off their dinner table with a sweep of his arm and announced that he planned to eat _her_ for dessert. Or that time in the garden, when he'd backed her up against the trunk of a cherry tree and sworn the guards couldn't see them - although she still wasn't sure that had been true. And as for his office, she thought with a delicious shudder, they'd made so many memories in there that she could barely look at his desk without becoming damp between her legs.

Despite the physical attention, Zuko had been annoyingly vague about his training sessions with his mother. The tension she'd noticed the first day was still there, although after an initial delay he had continued to train with Ursa regularly. She wished he would confide in her but she didn't want to nag him. After all, her waterbending lessons with Pakku had hardly been smooth sailing at first, and whenever two strong personalities were thrown together, there were bound to be rough patches. He could keep his secrets a little longer, she thought with a slow smile, because she had her own secrets, too.

Katara ran her hand over the distinctly round swell of her belly, closing her eyes and focusing on the feel of the heavy weight of blood that nestled there, a thick cushion to nourish and protect their little one as it grew. She found it amusing that Zuko hadn't noticed yet, considering that he explored this part of her body quite thoroughly on a daily basis, but of course the changes had been too gradual for him to perceive. An observant man would have realized that she hadn't had a monthly cycle since Omashu, but then again she wasn't sure Zuko even knew what a woman's cycle was. She guessed that kind of woman's talk had been kept away from the young prince's delicate ears. Her daily naps and strange appetites hadn't gotten his attention either. His ignorance didn't bother her, though – she would enjoy educating him. She only hoped she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

She sighed with impatience, rolling to her back and placing both hands on her stomach. It was taboo in the Southern Water Tribe to discuss a pregnancy before the first heartbeat had been heard. Arctic life was difficult, often balanced on the razor's edge of starvation, and the stressful conditions meant that many pregnancies failed to take hold. Her people believed that talking about a baby caused jealousy among the spirits, and if it wasn't firmly rooted they might come and steal the child. Every morning when she woke, she concentrated on the flow of blood through her womb and listened for the first heartbeat, waiting for the baby's chi to flicker to life, thinking, _today will be the day_. And still she waited.

She tried to ease her frustration by imagining how exactly she would finally reveal her secret to Zuko. Leave a pair of fur-lined water tribe baby boots on the table? No, not obvious enough. There was a chance Zuko wouldn't get it. Ask her brother to carve a traditional wooden cradle? That would take too long. Maybe she'd investigate some Fire Nation traditions that he might understand a little better. When Zuko found out, he would probably insist that the baby would take after him and grow up to be a mighty firebender. But she had conceived at the beginning of winter, and the baby's most critical growth would occur during the season when her power was at its peak. She felt sure the baby would be a waterbender, but she wouldn't rub it in. Let Zuko keep his illusions for a little while longer.

It was absurd, really, how clueless he was about women. The past few weeks her breasts had become unbearably tender, her stomach sore, and she'd had to ask Zuko to gentle his lovemaking to avoid hurting her. He'd complied eagerly, and rather inventively, using the incredible sensitivity of her nipples to his advantage, drawing out their foreplay until he could bring her to completion the first time with just the glide of his clever fingers. Somehow his passion was more arousing than ever when it was restrained, his caresses burning with intensity despite their tenderness. She shifted her legs impatiently at the thought, bringing her hands up to stroke the swell of her breasts. She needed to have the seamstress adjust her clothes soon, she thought, because sometimes, like now, even the pressure of the tight bodice was enough to make her nipples erect. She untied her outer tunic and had just begun to loosen her bindings when the doors opened and Zuko strode in.

"Sleeping again?" he asked with a smile as he walked over to her side.

"Someone kept me up all night," she teased in reply. "I was just trying to decide what might be worth waking up for. Can you guess what I was thinking of?" She eased her bindings open, setting her tender breasts free with a sigh of relief.

Zuko raised one eyebrow. "Maybe the budget meeting that's supposed to start in ten minutes?"

"I do enjoy a good budget meeting," she said, raising her knees and pulling her skirt up to bunch around her hips. "But that's not it. Guess again."

"Hmmm...let me see." He leaned over her, his right hand braced on the bed at her side, and ran his chin lightly, but deliberately, over her nipples. His afternoon stubble scraped against her oversensitive flesh and she moaned, arching her back even as his left hand slipped between her legs. That quickly, she was damp and aching for him.

She reached up with both hands to grasp the iron bars of their headboard as he slid a hard knee between her thighs. "I think we're going to be late for that meeting."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

They'd only been a half hour late after all, and although the meeting had been just as tedious as she'd feared, Zuko had kept her alert by sneaking his hand under the table and pinching her playfully whenever her eyes began to glaze over with boredom. Afterwards he'd excused himself to go prepare for another training session with his mother, and Katara decided to pay an overdue visit to the healing center in the capital city. She wanted to make sure everything was in order for the grand opening later that week, and she was embarrassed to admit that she'd slept through her scheduled inspection. She sent a servant to prepare a palanquin, complete with the four-man contingent of bodyguards upon which Zuko absolutely insisted whenever she left the palace. She was looking for a cape to ward off the chill of the late afternoon when a visitor was announced.

"Princess Ursa requests an audience with Fire Lord Katara," the porter droned.

Katara walked quickly to the open door to greet her mother-in-law. "Please, there's no need for this formality. You're always welcome in our quarters," she said, leading Ursa inside to a low table near the windows. "Would you like something to drink?"

Ursa sank gracefully to her knees. "No thank you," she replied, and the servants left, closing the doors behind them.

Katara settled herself on the other side of the table and a moment of silence hung in the air while she debated what to say. This was the first time they had conversed alone and she wasn't quite sure how to make small talk with someone so, well, regal.

"You must be wondering why I came to speak to you," Ursa began carefully.

Katara let out a surprised laugh. "You are my husband's mother. You don't need a reason to come talk to me."

Ursa relaxed a little and smiled. "I can see why my son is so smitten with you. Your openness and generosity are exactly what he needs."

"Why, thank you." Katara felt herself blushing at the compliment.

Ursa pulled a thin red box from her sleeve and set it on the table between them. "I have a gift for you."

"What a lovely surprise, thank you." Katara took the lid off the box and looked inside. Nestled on a white silken pillow was a delicate red candle, thinner than her finger and about as long. She took it out carefully and turned it in her hand. Golden designs were etched in the wax, symbols for luck and health. "It's beautiful."

Ursa held out a hand in warning. "Be careful - it's not an ordinary candle. If it is dropped or broken, it will bring bad luck. Do your people not celebrate the First Flame?"

"Uh, no. Is that a Fire Nation thing?"

"The First Flame is the announcement of new life," Ursa said. Her voice was gentle, but when her gaze passed over Katara's body, it seemed to penetrate though skin, to blood and breath. All the little signs that Zuko had missed, his mother saw. Katara's hands rose protectively over her belly as Ursa continued, "An expectant couple will light the candle together, and pray for the health of their child."

Katara tensed. "My people believe it is dangerous to speak of such a thing too soon."

"I'm sorry," Ursa said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

The sincerity in the older woman's gaze helped set Katara at ease. "It's okay. I do wish I could talk about it." More than that, she wished her mother were here. She had so many worries, so many questions. Would the baby be all right? Why was it taking so long to hear the heartbeat? She felt her mother's absence more keenly now than she had since she was a child. She didn't realize she was crying until the first sob shook her.

Ursa quickly moved to Katara's side, wrapping her in a gentle embrace. She didn't speak, she simply stroked Katara's hair and hummed a soft lullaby under her breath. When the storm had passed and tears dwindled down to sniffles, she leaned back and regarded Katara kindly. "Do you believe it is possible to see the future?

Katara nodded and wiped her nose. "A fortuneteller once told me I would have a great romance and marry a powerful bender. That certainly came true."

"Then believe me when I tell you that I've had a vision of the future as well. And about one thing I am absolutely certain: you will be a wonderful mother."

Katara felt tears spring to her eyes again just as a knock sounded on the door. "Your Majesty, the palanquin you requested is ready."

She looked at Ursa apologetically. "I was just getting ready to visit the healing center. I'm sorry we didn't have more time to talk."

"Why don't I join you?" Ursa offered.

"But - I thought you were meeting Zuko? He said he had another training session with you this afternoon."

Ursa raised one eyebrow in a way that suddenly reminded Katara powerfully of Zuko. "No, we didn't have any training scheduled today. Perhaps he was confused."

"Well, in that case, it would be great if you came with me," Katara said. Ursa rose with a smile and headed toward the doors, and Katara stuck the candle in her pocket and followed her out.

Katara hated riding in the palanquin. She thought it was ridiculous to be carried somewhere when she could probably walk there faster, but Zuko insisted – he even had hers modified with enough heavy armor to withstand arrows and firebombs. She teased him about being paranoid, but she knew it was only because her safety was so important to him. Katara had never ridden with anyone else before, but Ursa was so slight and still, they both fit inside comfortably.

The healing center was a good distance from the palace complex, and since they would be stuck together for a while, Katara wanted to try to get a little more information about Zuko's mysterious training sessions. Subtlety wasn't really one of her strengths, so she decided to be blunt. "You know, Zuko won't tell me much about what he's learning from you."

Ursa sighed. "I'm not surprised. He's been reluctant to practice at all."

"What exactly is he supposed to be practicing?"

"Manipulating chi."

"Well, yes, I figured that. But why is he being so secretive about it?"

"I asked him not to talk about it. This particular technique is very powerful, and if corrupted, it can be very dangerous."

Katara frowned in confusion. "Can't any bending be dangerous in the wrong hands?"

Ursa nodded. "That's true. But most bending is external, effecting elements in the physical world. Manipulating chi takes place inside the body, and can be much more of a violation if abused."

_Violation_. Wasn't that the very essence of bloodbending? Katara shuddered as she pictured Hama controlling the bodies of innocent villagers, forcing Aang and Sokka to fight against their will. Or herself, using it on her own enemies. "That much power can be as seductive as it is horrible," she murmured.

"Yes. You understand. I have warned Zuko about the dangers of losing control."

Katara sprang to her husband's defense. "Zuko knows how important it is to control his bending. That's why Aang picked him as his firebending master."

"Knowing it, and actually doing it, are two different things. If he loses his temper, with that much power in his grasp…"

"No, he wouldn't hurt anyone," Katara insisted.

Ursa sighed. "I pray that you are right."

They were silent for the rest of the ride, each wrapped up in her own thoughts. When the palanquin stopped at the healing center and they climbed down, Katara looked up at the new building with a tremendous sense of pride. It was three stories high, built in less than six months almost entirely out of bamboo. It was large enough to provide classrooms and dormitories for training the first round of healers. She had personally selected the teachers and students, and as soon as the rest of the furniture and supplies were delivered, it would be ready to open. As she and Ursa approached the front doors, she was surprised to see a contingent of soldiers standing guard.

"Who assigned soldiers to my healing center?" she demanded.

One of the guards cleared his throat nervously, his gaze darting between Katara and Ursa. "We – we're here on the orders of Fire Lord Zuko."

Katara put her hands on her hips. "For what purpose?"

"To secure the prisoners, Your Majesty."

"What prisoners?"

"The, uh, the earthbenders. They were just delivered from the Earth Kingdom this morning."

Katara gasped in surprise. "Let me through. Right now."

"We're not supposed to let anyone – "

She ignored him, walking forward, almost daring him to try to stop her. But as she expected, the soldiers parted before her and Princess Ursa, unwilling to attempt to physically restrain them no matter what their orders may have been. Katara swiftly climbed the stairs, and when a quick glance showed that the first two floors were empty, she moved on to the third floor.

Another cluster of guards stood near the entrance to one of the classrooms and Katara strode toward them, quickly countering their objections and pushing forward into the room with Ursa close behind, then slamming the door shut on their curious gazes. Haru and Tyro were both there, sitting bound and gagged in the middle of the room. Surrounded by wood, three stories above the ground, there was no earth or metal anywhere nearby for them to bend. Ironically, her healing center had turned out to be the perfect prison. Haru saw her first and struggled to get up on his knees. She raced to him, pulling off his gag, but her old friend simply snarled in response.

"Don't touch me!"

"Haru, I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need help from a traitor. You betrayed your people, and your race."

"Don't say that!" she cried. "I'm helping create peace between all the nations."

"There will never be peace until the Fire Nation is destroyed, starting with your scarred freak of a husband," Haru spat bitterly.

Ursa approached them calmly, looking down on the prisoners with an expression of pity. "You said that Azula twisted their minds somehow?"

Katara nodded. "Before she left the Earth Kingdom. But it might be possible to break through –"

"Don't touch me!" Haru shouted again as Katara walked behind him and pulled water from her pouch. She grabbed his head between her hands and held on tight as he thrashed on his knees, summoning the blue glow as quickly as she could. Although she already had some experience breaking the Dai Li's conditioning, she'd never tried it with an unwilling patient before.

"Just hold still," she gritted through clenched teeth as she struggled to concentrate. She could feel the blockage in his fifth chakra, located in his throat, as the lies the Dai Li forced upon him disrupted the natural flow of his chi. When she began to unblock the area Haru froze, but Tyro continued to thrash around at his side. "Ursa, see if you can keep him quiet."

As soon as Ursa touched Tyro and he quieted, Katara focused all of her attention on Haru. She visualized the Dai Li's conditioning as logs blocking a river, and one by one pulled them free, restoring the flow of energy through his throat. As she worked he gasped, then panted, then finally shuddered and sank to his knees as the last blockage was cleared. Katara put a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to meet his stunned gaze.

His voice was ragged, tears clogged his eyes. "What have I done?"

"It wasn't you, Haru," she said gently. "Azula brainwashed you."

"But – I hurt you. I cursed you. I'm so sorry." He looked down in shame and Katara bent over to untie the ropes binding his hands. "How can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Katara insisted, throwing the ropes to the floor and tugging on his arms until he climbed to his feet.

"I don't deserve a friend like you. Thank you for believing in me," Haru choked out, then wrapped her in a tight embrace.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Zuko stood in the entrance, his golden eyes blazing furiously. "What the hell's going on here?"


	24. Chapter 24: Fallen Flame

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Author's Note:** You may want to get some tissues handy before you start reading. While writing this I was loosely inspired by a piece of fanart by Kuro-TheNinthSon: http:/fav(dot)me/d1nak82

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty-Four: Fallen Flame**

Zuko brought flames to his fists and charged toward Haru. "Get your hands off my wife!" The earthbender quickly released her and backed away but, before Zuko could get a clean line of fire, Katara stepped between them.

"Zuko, stop!" she shouted, her arms extended to protect Haru.

Fear and frustration raged through him at the sight. "He could hurt you! Damn it, Katara, it's not safe." He shifted to the side, ready to extend a fire whip toward Haru, but she saw his movement and opened her waterskin, bringing a protective ring of water between them. The guards clustered behind him, waiting for his signal to attack.

"I broke his conditioning," Katara insisted. "He's not going to hurt anyone."

"You can't be sure of that!" Zuko gestured toward his mother standing off to the side behind Tyro, her hands on his head and her eyes closed in concentration. "They could attack either one of you at any time. Now stand aside and let the guards take him back into custody."

Haru spoke up meekly. "It's okay, Katara. After everything I've done, you can't just set me free."

Zuko snorted. The young earthbender was right, of course. But Zuko still felt like punching him, especially since Katara continued to hover protectively over him like some kind of mother turtle-duck guarding her young. "Listen to him. Move out of the way."

Her jaw clenched stubbornly. "Okay - on one condition. You have to promise you won't hurt him."

Zuko growled in frustration. He wanted the satisfaction of interrogating Haru personally. But if necessary, he could always let someone else do it, while he watched. "Agreed."

"And you can't let anyone else hurt him!" she added quickly. "And you have to let him stand trial. In public."

Damn it. "That's three conditions."

"Promise me, Zuko! I want your word of honor."

He briefly considered charging her, so he could have the pleasure of tackling Haru. He could probably slip by her without hurting her. He cursed impatiently. Even the smallest chance that she would get hurt was too much to risk. "Fine. You have my word. Your precious traitor will stand trial. Unharmed."

Katara frowned, but stood aside. Zuko gestured the guards forward and they quickly bound Haru again, pushing him back on the floor beside his father. Tyro was still bound and kneeling, almost frozen, at Ursa's feet.

"He wasn't going to hurt me Zuko," Katara insisted again, stalking forward to poke him right in the chest. "We're on the third floor of a wooden building, there's no earth for him to bend. And just think, what if you'd started firebending? The whole place could have gone up in flames! Besides, I can take care of myself, you know."

"You _think_ you can—"

"I can! And what are they doing locked up in my healing center anyway? Why didn't you tell me they'd been captured!"

He put up his hands to ward off her tirade. "Look, I didn't want to have this debate with you! Once they'd confessed, we could move ahead to the executions."

"The _what?_" Her voice rose to a shriek. "You cannot – Zuko, these are my friends!"

"Who tried to kill us. Twice. We can't just let them go! What kind of message would that send to other rebels?"

"They were acting under Azula's orders. All of that would come out in a public trial. _That_ would send a message that no one is above the law." Katara started to pace, waving her hands around. "But locking them away in the dark, and just doing whatever you want with them? That's just – it's corrupt, Zuko."

He sucked in a surprised breath. Corrupt? He just wanted to keep her safe. "They deserve to be punished."

"Then let the law decide that. Impartially. You can't just storm around imposing your will in anger." She sighed and came to a halt in front of him. "Remember when I wanted to stop the rebels in Jang Hui, and you disagreed, so I left without you? I was wrong. I should have respected your objections, and kept talking to you until we reached some kind of agreement."

"What's your point?"

"You just did the same thing to me! You wanted to do something, and you knew I'd object, so you just left me out of it completely."

He winced. "I hadn't thought of it that way," he admitted.

"We have to decide these things together, Zuko. We have to compromise. Even if it's hard, or it means we don't get everything our way all the time." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, stepping forward to embrace him tentatively.

Maybe it was childish, but he really liked getting everything his way. She was right, though, he had avoided talking about it with her because, deep down, he knew what he wanted to do was wrong, and she would have told him so. He sighed and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head and holding her tight. "I'm sorry, Katara," he whispered, closing his eyes.

Suddenly Haru chimed in, "I'm sorry, too. I never meant to hurt you guys."

Zuko cracked his good eye open to glare down at Haru. "Shut up, dirtbender. No one wants to hear you right now."

Katara pulled back and elbowed him in the ribs. "Cut it out, Zuko. I told you, I broke through Azula's conditioning."

"That doesn't mean I have to like him." He frowned. "And what is my mother doing to the other one?"

They turned to face Ursa. Her eyes were closed, her face strained, and all of her concentration seemed focused on Tyro.

"When I was healing Haru, she started doing that to keep him quiet," Katara explained. "She must be using her chi to cure him."

Zuko shook his head. "A firebender's chi doesn't work like that." He walked behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mother? Ursa? Snap out of it." With a gasp she jerked her hands away from Tyro. Zuko realized she was trembling and pulled her into his arms.

"I was trying to help," she whispered. "I sent him some of my own chi, to help him fight the unnatural energy within him. But he was too strong, too twisted. I'm so sorry, my son."

Zuko recalled the feeling from their training sessions of her chi blazing through him, enhancing all of his senses. If his mother had sent the earthbender her chi, then Tyro's reflexes would all be heightened. And if she hadn't broken through his conditioning, the insanity Azula had planted within him would be stronger as well.

Once Ursa had released him, Tyro had pulled free from his gag and started writhing unnaturally on the floor, straining against his bonds until the rope around his hands began to fray. His muscles bunching, blood dripping from torn skin on his wrists, he groaned and pulled until he suddenly broke free.

"Guards, restrain him!" Zuko shouted, but he was too late. He watched in horror as Tyro leapt forward and grabbed Katara, wrapping a heavily muscled forearm around her delicate neck.

"Stand back!" Tyro growled. Katara reached her hands out to summon water but he grabbed her arm with his free hand. "No tricks, waterbender, or I'll snap your neck."

Sheer terror raced through Zuko. The urge to charge Tyro was overwhelming, but he knew any attack would place Katara in too much danger. There was no time to lose – her face was already turning red, her breath reduced to choking gasps from Tyro's tight grip. Zuko summoned all his willpower and forced his voice to be calm, reassuring, as he held his hands out, palms up. "No one's going to hurt you. You can let her go."

"Send the guards out!" Tyro shouted. "I want them gone!"

Zuko nodded and the guards shuffled reluctantly out of the room and down the stairs. His heart hammered as he watched Katara's eyes begin to glaze over. This was taking too long. "Just let her go. Please. I'll give you anything you want. Just name it."

Tyro began backing out of the room toward the steps. "Listen to the pretty Fire Lord beg," he taunted. "I want nothing from you."

"I'll release you. And your son. Full pardons. You have my word. Just, please, don't hurt her." Zuko's vision began to swim, and he realized his eyes had filled with tears. "I love her."

"Good. The more you love her, the more you'll suffer." Tyro had backed up against the railing, Katara limp in his arms. "I may have failed in my mission to kill you. But I'll make you wish you were dead." Suddenly Tyro pushed himself backwards, over the railing, taking Katara with him.

Zuko launched himself forward but everything seemed to move in slow motion - the guards scattering on the stairs, his mother's cry behind him, the mad grin on Tyro's face as he fell. But most of all he saw Katara, her lovely blue eyes dim, her hair floating in the air as she dropped. Suddenly Zuko's right hand wrapped around her ankle and everything sped up again as he was dragged halfway over the railing, trying to stop her fall. Tyro's arm was still hooked around her neck and Zuko felt pain shoot through his shoulder as he desperately held the weight of two people.

"You're too late," Tyro shouted, his legs dangling in the open air, three stories above the floor. "I've won!"

Zuko summoned a fireball to his left hand. "Go to hell," he growled, and released a deadly blast directly at Tyro's chest. Tyro's mouth stretched open in a silent scream as he fell through the air, arms grasping at nothing, body ablaze. Zuko ignored the sickening crunch as he hit the ground and pulled Katara quickly up and over the railing, laying her body down on the floor.

He knelt over her, smoothing the hair away from her face, refusing to accept the blankness in her stare, the slackness in her muscles. "Katara, you can't go. You can't leave me." His voice broke, tears falling freely as his trembling fingers raced over her head, neck, chest, searching for any sign of life. Desperately he reached inward for his chi, enhancing his awareness, laying his hands on her chest and abdomen. His touch was met only by silence, her body devoid of energy, the flame of life gone. Suddenly he felt something, a tiny flicker, and strained his senses. A rapid pulsing, like the beat of a honeybird's wings, raced under the hand placed on her belly. What was it? He moved his hand across her stomach and something rolled out of her pocket to fall on the ground.

A thin red candle with gold etching lay broken in two pieces, held together only by a thin wick. The First Flame. His mind reeled - the faint sound he heard was a heartbeat, he realized. A baby. _Oh, Katara, why didn't you tell me?_

The fragile, frantic beating became uneven, began to slow, and suddenly Zuko felt a strange calm wash over him. His terror was gone, his fear erased. Love flooded him, golden, certain, and he knew what he had to do.

He found his own inner flame, visualized the red thread that revealed the energy's path, and sent out his chi. It flowed from his fingers into Katara's body, racing through her veins. His flame began to flicker, his heart slowed, but he kept pushing. Everything he had, everything he was, he would give up just to see her look at him again. His limbs went numb, he could feel nothing but the warm flow of chi out of his body. He became colder, weaker, falling onto his side next to her. Both his hands slid to her chest, his head near her shoulder as he watched her face. At last his inner flame gave one final, desperate flicker, then died. His vision began to darken, but just before everything went black, he saw Katara's lips part to pull in a gasp of air. Under his hands, her chi blazed back to life, her pulsing heartbeat the sweetest music he had ever heard. She turned her head and met his clouded gaze.

"I love you," he whispered, then closed his eyes.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note: **STOP! Before you send me hate mail, read the next chapter! You've read this far, so please trust me through one more chapter!


	25. Chapter 25: New Life

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Twenty-Five: New Life**

Katara stood in a daze, moving woodenly where she was told to go, repeating the words she was told to say. She hid from the pain lurking inside her, ready to rip her apart in slow, vicious strips. She tried to focus on the sights around her, a dazzling array of colors. The red robes of Fire Nation nobility filled the ceremonial plaza, like a great roiling sea of blood. The white robes of the sages released silken whispers of sadness as they filed past her on the dais. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the golden glint of the funeral pyre, winking at her in the obscenely cheerful sunlight, but she turned her gaze away.

The Great Sage stepped forward, his red robes circling around him, and finished the ceremony. "Princess Ursa, you were beloved by the people of the Fire Nation. Wife of Fire Lord Ozai. Mother to Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula, now passed. We lay you to rest."

Katara reached out to grasp Zuko's hand, warm and strong at her side. She looked up at his face, awash in sadness, as he watched the fire sages step forward and engulf the sarcophagus in a blaze of flame. He'd had so little time with his mother, and now she was gone.

"She loved you so much," Katara whispered. Zuko met her gaze and tried to smile, but tears ran down his cheeks.

"She gave me life," he said hoarsely. "Not once, but twice."

Katara's hand tightened on his as she remembered the terrifying image of Zuko's lifeless eyes. Yesterday's tragic events would haunt her forever. She had been lost in darkness, her spirit spinning loose, when a golden thread appeared before her. She followed it, moving faster and faster until suddenly she was back in her body, heart pounding, gasping for breath. Zuko's head lay on the ground next to hers, and just as her eyes blinked open, his slid shut. She had turned weakly to her side, trying to shake him awake, calling his name, when Ursa knelt next to him.

"It is not his time yet," his mother said calmly. She looked at Katara and smiled kindly. "Tell him that I loved him more than anything else in this world," she said, laying her hands gently on his chest. Katara had watched in amazement as she seemed to glow, her spirit strong and clear, until suddenly the glow faded and Zuko jerked awake with a gasp even as his mother slumped to the floor.

Katara sighed now and leaned against his shoulder. If not for Ursa's sacrifice, she would be a widow today, and her baby would never know its father. She cradled her free hand protectively over her belly. Zuko noticed the gesture and brought his other hand over hers. This time his smile actually reached his eyes, and he leaned down to give her a lingering kiss, royal protocol be damned.

"Have I told you I loved you?" he whispered.

"Only about a hundred times this morning. But I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you. I love you. I love you. I waited too long to tell you, and then I almost lost you. I'll tell you every day."

"How about every hour?"

"Every minute. I love you, Katara."

"I love you too, Zuko. Forever."

As they both turned back to the ceremony, the flames from Ursa's pyre reached up into the bright afternoon sky, crackling loudly. Katara looked out across the sea of people in the ceremonial plaza. Here she had fought and killed Azula. Here she had saved Zuko's life. Here they had married. And here, in the shadow of death, they had found love. They had come through so much together in the past year, had overcome so many obstacles, and her faith had wavered at times. But now she knew their love was deep, and true, and would sustain them through whatever challenges lay ahead.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**One year later**_

"We're going to be late!" Zuko called from the bathroom in their quarters. She could hear the splashing as he tried to finish washing up quickly.

Katara smiled but didn't get up. She leaned back in the rocking chair they had moved over from the old nursery, pushing off the floor in a slow and steady rhythm. Her son nursed greedily at her breast and she relaxed, her milk flowing steadily as he suckled with enthusiasm. Like father, like son, she thought with a low chuckle. She pushed a lock of curly brown hair off the baby's forehead, laughing as the child followed her moving fingers with his deep blue eyes, then reached up a chubby fist to try and grab them.

"What's so funny?" Zuko asked from the other room.

"Little Kayan here is trying to catch my fingers."

"Oh?" Zuko came out of the bathroom, cradling a baby girl with a thick shock of black hair sticking straight up on the top of her head. "What do you think about that, Ursa?" he crooned, and their daughter looked up at him with an adoring golden gaze. "Is your brother bothering Momma?"

Ursa burped and then proceeded to suck determinedly on her fist. Zuko smoothed her formal white dress and then handed her to a waiting servant. He walked over to Katara with a smile. "He'll nurse all day if you don't cut him off, and then we'll miss the ceremony completely."

Katara gently extricated her breast and handed Kayan to Zuko to burp. "Better get a cloth – you don't want him spitting up on your robes again," she warned.

Zuko waved a hand casually in acknowledgement and carried the baby over to the changing table. Katara refastened her gown and then took a rare free moment to enjoy the sight of her husband. His hair was pulled up in a formal topknot with the golden diadem in a look she thought was unbearably sexy. Although they'd been together constantly, the fatigue of parenthood had taken its toll and they hadn't lain together since the twins were born over two months ago. Looking at Zuko now, she decided that would change tonight. He looked so regal, so intimidating in his red Fire Lord robes, yet the sight of him bouncing Ursa gently in his arms and making ridiculous baby talk warmed her heart.

They had chosen today, the anniversary of his mother's death, to officially declare their children as royal heirs. Katara hoped that creating a good memory would replace some of the sadness that still lingered in the palace. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she often felt that Ursa's spirit was watching over them, guiding them still. Since she had become a mother, she found herself speaking to Ursa, and her own mother Kya, occasionally in her mind. _Thank you for these blessings,_ she thought. _Thank you for my family_.

Zuko turned back to her, their son in his arms, and Katara rose and collected their daughter from the servant. Together they left their chambers for the ceremonial plaza. Today was the official start of their children's lives as Fire Nation royalty. She and Zuko stepped onto the dais, the sun warming them as they held Kayan and Ursa for the roaring crowd to see. Katara looked up at Zuko, and when he met her gaze, they both smiled with excitement.

It was a new beginning, for all of them.

THE END

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Author's Note:** Wow! I can't believe I actually finished it! And everything worked out, more or less! I want to thank my generous reviewers for your kind words of encouragement along the way. You really kept me motivated!

The fanfiction bug definitely bit me, and I'm already excited about my next story. This time I plan to write for the Japanese anime **Darker than BLACK**. If you've never seen it, it's darker than ATLA, more violent, but really good. I think I like it because the main character, Hei, reminds me a lot of Zuko. Set in a futuristic Tokyo, he's a sort of secret agent with supernatural powers. Everybody assumes he's a ruthless assassin, but you can see glimpses of a tender heart underneath. So what is he, really – monster or savior? Does he even know? Sexy police Chief Misaki Kirihara won't rest until she discovers the truth! Season one is available in reruns on the Funimation channel or through instant streaming from Netflix, and there are only 25 episodes in season one, so check it out! An extra episode (#26) even revolves around a fanfiction author, it's pretty hilarious. Maybe you can finish watching it by the time I post my first chapter!


End file.
